Imagine an onion. You know what they're like. Dirt covers the outside thin layer, then as you peel it back, you find many layers, some sweeter, some stronger, some juicier, some thicker, and then eventually you get to the heart of it. Our first wwoofing experience has been much like an onion. And with onions being harvested all around us in the Pukekohe region, this seems very fitting.
Let's begin by saying we arrived to our "back up" wwoof host Debbie's, grateful for the opportunity to learn what small scale farming looks like in New Zealand. Recall Carla had bailed on us in a previous blog post and we scrambled a bit to sort out another wwoof site. Debbie's post on the wwoof site was, in retrospect, a wee bit vague. But she was quick to reply to our request, so we relaxed, and let fate take over; as one of my Catholic friends says, “let Jesus take the wheel.”
Layer one of our experience began upon our arrival to Debbie's in recognizing that our onion was very dirty, and this was not metaphorical dirt, but instead, quite literal. We found dirty floors, dirty dishes, dirty furniture. Our instinct was to sweep, wash and wipe our onion to cleanliness, or at least livability. So, in true Gayle and Paul - get ‘R done fashion, we grabbed the broken broom, broken vacuum, and broken dust pan and went to work. Somewhere in this initial reaction, we became slightly more accustomed to the dirt (which translates as “I am not taking my shoes off ever inside the house"). An entire PhD study can probably be done on this brain psychology - we simply believe that many who show up do not stay. Despite all of this, we started looking beyond the thin outside layer, to the meatier, juicer layers inside.
In the next layer of our wwoofing “onion” experience we peeled back and discovered the work tasks. Debbie quickly discovered Paul's knack for building, and put him onto a redesign of the chicken tractor (a chicken coop on wheels), a reconstruct of the hen house door, and a shelter build for the lawn mower. Gayle spent time painting various half finished projects, and did quite a bit to clean up endless gardens on the 10 acres. You see, ten acres might not seem like a lot, but when you have a warm and rainy climate that promotes year round growth, ten acres of gardens and hedges seems more like one hundred acres when you are a single owner with many other things on the go.
That brings us to our next layer: the buildings. One house would be plenty to manage, so imagine four! Debbie has a proper house, which she is currently trying to split into a duplex so it can be rented as homes for migrant workers. She also has a tiny home, a small house where she and her daughter live, and a recently purchased building intended for housing but in need of major renovations. Oh, and I almost forgot a bunkie and a other bedroom off the carport. As you can see, this layer is thick and juicy, but not without a few blemishes. Debbie works her magic to renovate these buildings on a shoe string budget. She finds treasures on line, reinvents them, and resells them for a profit, all to be able to purchase other items for the housing units. Blemishes start to grow when time is too short for cleaning and maintenance.
Animals make up the spicy layer of our onion. Debbie has two dogs and two cats that are, quite honestly, old, decrepit and smelly. There’s no nice way to say it.
They are well loved and well taken care of. She also has a few sheep that seem to take care of themselves for the present time. What adds the spice to this layer are Debbie's free-range chickens. Most have names, Lacey often finds herself looking for cuddles inside the house, and chicken tractors and coops seem to be an ongoing concern. All of this being said, it is very exciting to open a coop and find the odd fresh egg! The chickens seem to like the new door on the coop and are spending more time in there too!
At the heart of our onion is the sweet layer and the reason for being at Debbie's - wwoofing. In case you forget wwoofing stands for 'willing workers on organic farms'. Perhaps this isn't really an organic farm, but Debbie genuinely wants to give her wwoofers a great experience. She goes out of her way to cook delicious meals using creative food ideas, show her woofers interesting local sights, and provide support where she can. For example, Debbie has taken Vlada and Lucas, a young couple from France, to get bank accounts and see about buying a camper van today. She is kind, helpful, and goes out of her way to provide a great New Zealand experience for everyone who comes.
When it’s all said and done, we can safely say that this experience was way outside of our bell curve of expectations. We have tested our limits and have learned many things about people, the way they live and what’s important to them. We have also clearly seen what can happen when the best of “intentions” are not backed with enough enduring resources.
The stories of this blog and our trip are about adventure. Our time at Debbie's farm has certainly not fallen short of that standard and has given us subject material for many stories we'll be sure to share in person!