mrsjono

On our 104th day in New Zealand, we jumped off a plane 13,000ft from the sky. There were four pairs tandem diving and I was the first to go. At 5,000ft or something, a female staff opened the door and dropped out of the plane without any hesitation. My hands were getting sweaty. Chris opened the door and I swung my legs out as instructed. I closed my eyes and we dropped. I screamed till I couldn't breathe. My stomach felt abit sick. He tapped me to stretch out my hands but I was still scared and continued to hold onto the harness with one hand. Parachute opened and we shot back up in the air again. It felt amazing floating in the sky with my feet dangling in the air, taking in the breathtaking views of the Kaikoura Ranges and Abel Tasman. Chris pointed out to me where rs was, spiralling down in a blue parachute. (He said he asked his tandem master for stunts and he got giddy afterwards lol) I'm not spending shit loads of money for photos and videos so I secretly kept my camera in my jacket pocket and it jumped down with me... just for this one photo with my tandem master after landing. Awesome deal from GrabOne only $189 with Skydive Abel Tasman~! 

Envy apples are considered branded, like the LV of bags. They are a hybrid of Royal Gala and Braeburn; the flesh doesn't brown after being cut. It is crunchier and sweeter than other breeds. This was the last batch of apples we packed. 

没有它会抓狂 有了它会疯狂!

Stayed with a Thai lady (a calculative one) from work for a month and her house did not have wifi. We didn't have any mobile data (can't remember why probably because 2degrees didn't have any attractive plans at that time) and the nearest legitimate use of wifi was McDonalds or the library in town. Library would have closed by the time we ended work so we could only go to McDonalds. We would walk about 25mins one way to McDonalds in the cold nights just to use wifi. Needed internet access not for leisure web surfing but to find our next job and accommodation. Back then he was using a half smart HTC Windows phone and I didn't have one and relied on my broken iPod. Sometimes he would carry his laptop (I couldn't take mine because I left my battery at home - worst decision ever) in case we run out of internet as each device has only up to 100mb. Me being me, I sneaked onto Facebook once and used up all the quota on his laptop and he was SO MAD at me. When desperate times call for illegitimate measures, we stood outside or sneaked into the hostels we previously stayed in with the unused internet vouchers we had saved up for rainy days. Those four weeks were inconvenient enough to make me remember that I have taken wifi for granted. On some nights where we didn't go out for wifi, we entertained ourselves by watching videos of our younger days or singing to the songs on his phone. After Motueka, we hardly visit the golden arches and when we did it was for the food and not internet anymore because we finally had mobile data and internet access in subsequent accommodations.

Sunday routine begins with washing clothes in the morning and walking to the market to buy groceries.


We arranged to meet the girls in town that afternoon. Since Riwaka was on the way to Kaiteriteri, we dropped by their accommodation to have a look.


They stayed in this big house jam packed with backpackers. It was so crowded some of them were contemplating moving elsewhere.


It was situated high on top of the hill with a view.


A 10mins drive brought us to Kaiteriteri Beach, a popular holiday destination known for its golden sand and blue water. It was quiet when we visited in autumn.


You can choose to cross the tidal estuary or detour over the hill to get over to the other side of the beach.


What's down there?


Watching passengers disembark the boat


Calm waters


On the other side of the hill is Little Kaiteriteri.


Rocks full of clams were a peculiar sight. We met the packers from Inwood helping themselves to fresh seafood.


Me, Piyamas, Adeline and Jacklyn


Last jump before the sun sets

葡萄帮相聚在Motueka
能与认识的朋友一起在新的小镇吃肯德基
当然要合照留念一下
开心她们也找到了新工作
不知还有机会再见吗?

Apples of varying sizes appear at the grading table. Can't bear to throw the baby ones away so I brought them back. Lined them up on the window sill and roommate who is working in a kiwi packhouse started a new line forming our mini fruits collection in Laughing Kiwi XD

Third job in New Zealand was finally indoors in an apple packhouse along Ching Road in Upper Moutere, about 10-15mins drive from Motueka. We were damn lucky to get in considering it was nearing the end of the season. One was suddenly quite sick and the other was skipping work too frequently they decided to replace him. The roles we filled were part of the packing process; we didn't do the actual packing into boxes. I was a grader and he was a stacker. 

Inwood Orchards is a small family business run by Mark and Heather. Good employers who pay workers on time and even offered to be referees for our next job after we left.


Me the lazy grader with endless supply of apples hee


The line starts moving at 8am sharp with apples rolling onto the grading table. Four graders look out for any bruises, black spots, sunburns, finger nail cuts - these are discarded down the chute. At the same time, graders also remove any leaves from the stem. I was so busy rejecting defects and throwing out the leaves all at the same time the Thai graders behind me said the leaves hit their faces lol.


Rotten ones are consolidated separately in buckets that go into the juice bin


Still dare to drink apple juice?


The good ones bob down the line for packaging


The machine churns out apples continuously, packers have to be quick or they'll overflow. Responsible packers also take one last look for any defects the graders have missed earlier.


Notice how they are arranged on their sides


Packers help out any tables that are about to overflow


Besides eating apple during smoko we occasionally get these delicious treats made by the packers for all to share~


The small pantry where we had our breaks. Tea, coffee and milk are provided by the packhouse. According to the owners, the good apples are exported overseas and rejected ones are sold in local supermarkets.


Rainbow over orchard


Two fit boys stack trays weighing 15-25kg each


to as high as 25 trays


While he hated this physically demanding job, the lifting did him good as it helped him to achieve a flat tummy and bigger biceps haha.


Work ends on time at 4.30pm. Most workers stay in sleepouts located on or near the orchard. The rent is slightly cheaper (about $95 pw or less) compared to living in town not a bad idea for workers with their own transport. Heard it can get quite cold at night though.


The whole packhouse crew on the last day of work