Peace and quiet in Otamatea

I stayed in Otamatea for two weeks in the beginning of October (post a bit late, I know).

Otamatea is an intentional eco-village society, which means people who live there work together to try to create a better environment for them, their children and people in general. It is situated on a peninsula, surrounded by the Otamatea river, near Kaiwaka, in the south of Northland. It is a stunningly beautiful place, with nice and interesting people in it. Not only hippies and New-agers either, creative mix of people.
I stayed with Lynne and Reinhold, who started the community some ten years ago. It took me a while before I felt at home with them, but eventually I loved it there. I worked four hours a day in exchange for good food (which was welcome after my week in northland) and a bed in the outside sauna. I did a number of different tasks, including planting potatoes, weeding, moving cows, collecting cowshit, even beekeeping! By the end of the first week I might go back there sometime, by the end of my travels.

After that, I got back to Auckland, with mixed feelings about leaving. It was good to see Paul, he had two German couchsurfers staying, who were just heading for Northland, so I gave them some tips. Me and Paul talked a lot, it was almost like coming home. After two days I left Auckland again, heading to the south. It was a great feeling to realise, that every meter I drove, I was in the most Southern place I had ever been. Randomly I took turnoffs, stopped by the side of the road to sleep, no idea where I was. Next day drove on, till I came to Mount Maunganui, a little village close to Tauranga. I liked it there and still do. I went to Te Puke a couple of times, they call it Kiwifruit capital of the world. A man said I could get a job in pruning the orchards, they start somewhere this week, depending on the wheater.

In the meantime I hang around "the mount", sleeping in the van and taking free showers in the camping. I walk and run around the mount often, go fishing, read and relax. In the day there are always plenty of people around, but at night it sometimes gets very lonely. Yesterday I met some people who arrived in a pickup truck with leather sofas on the back. They unloaded them on the beach, and I joined in with my sofa. I wish all nights could be like that. One of the guys was a beekeeper, said he needed men to work, so I gave him my number, we'll see.

Funny little facts
- I was walking on the rocks around the mount a few days back, when I was suddenly stunned to see two seals barking at me. I stood there for a second or two, before realising that running was the better option. I ran, jumped off another rock and landed on half a meter of a huuuuuge seal who charged at me. Scary but o so cool. Offcourse I didnt have my camera with me.
- I went fishing, having no idea who the fishing rod works. A man explained it all to me, and now I get it. Didn't catch any fish, and was terrified that one of the blue penguins, who I could see swimming around there, would eat the bate, but luckily they didnt.
- Everywhere I park the van, young people seem to gather around with their cars, just to hang around. It is a strange NZ habbit. Most of the cars are tuned and their engines are loud. A lot of the kids race on the streets as well. They are pretty friendly though. I was drinking with a group of them, when the cops came and made us tip all of the drinks out (they had two cases of burboun and coke). They didnt seem to mind that they left all the bottles on the street though, strange country.
- Met a strange man who went to the pub in an overal. He told me that Japanese girls were hairy, because they eat a lot of fish.
- Mussels are easy to grab around here, and I eat them every two days. Each day is too much.

Allright, Im heading to Te Puke now, hoping that I can start working again soon, because my money is almost gone again (but aint that the way it will always be?).