WWOOFing in Christchurch
We arrived at the second largest city in New Zealand, Christchurch, on November 9, 2012 after traveling on a campervan for two and a half weeks across the North and the South Islands. On February 22, 2011, Christchurch was significantly impacted by an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude and several aftershocks, causing the death of 185 people. There was severe damage to the central city and eastern suburbs. Visiting Christchurch was an opportunity to be in touch with the way a natural disaster affects people’s lives by shifting their plans, needs, and future. Despite the tragedy, life and recovery continues…
We had our WWOOFing experience in Christchurch from November 9 to November 18, 2012 and were hosted by Rosamund and Ian at their lovely home in the residential area of Avonhead. This amazing couple has been growing a garden for self-consumption in their backyard for many years. They were amazingly open and giving, sharing their years of organic farming experience and delicious vegetarian cuisine. We were also fortunate to meet Nozomi, a sweet Japanese woman studying English, who was also hosted by this couple.
Our experience was a lot more than gardening. Rosamund and Ian opened our eyes to their day to day ways of attaining a healthy life. Their lifestyle is founded in the art of planting organic fruit and vegetables, preparing healthy and tasty meals, reusing materials, and causing the least impact possible in the environment. Their house and garden run in a full cycle of balance. A big variety of vegetables and fruits are grown to enjoy fresh on a daily basis, and organic waste is utilized to create compost and nurture the soil. This way of living is a dream come true and sets an example for any family that lives in an urban setting.
Through our WWOOFing experience we discovered ways in which we could make fruit marmalades, pickles, bread, and even our own dehydrated food for hiking trips. Furthermore, our preconception of vegetarian food as a “boring way of eating”, was completely challenged and modified after enjoying a full week of delicious, various, and international vegetarian meals. We didn’t miss meat at all!
Our working hours were very flexible. We completed different tasks which included weeding, planting, creating compost, covering plants to protect them from birds, harvesting, painting, and fixing curtains. Rosamund and Ian also took us on a beautiful overnight hiking trip to the Lewis Pass National Reserve – Nina Valley. They made our trip perfect by ending it with a visit to the thermal pools in Hanmer Springs. Through our conversations we discovered that we have multiple common interests: hiking, camping, traveling, gardening, cooking, eating, tea, chocolate, wine, movies, and classical music. Our time together was full of great moments.
Meeting Rosamund and Ian has been an inspiration to our future by seeing their skills in action, their strategies of growing and producing their own food, their knowledge built over years of exploration and curiosity, their energy and passion for life, their kindness in the world while sharing with others, and their deep love for each other. This all paints a picture of beautiful colors that we hope to have for ourselves.
We take with us the wonderful gift of meeting this inspiring couple. They leave our mind wide open to many ideas and the certainty that there is so much more to learn as we continue making our way around the world.
