Nelson and Abel Tasman

When we got to the south Island the first thing I noticed was hitching was so much easier.  People offered us rides easily.   The first ride we got before we even stuck our thumbs out.  A university professor was heading in the general direction of Nelson and he offered to take us as far he could, which was pretty far. 

Chocolate pudding... noms!

When we got in we had to find Tasman Bay backpackers.  This place was cheap and seemed like a backpacker’s dream.  There was free chocolate pudding and ice cream every night.  That alone was hook, line and sinker.  They also provided free breakfast, free wifi, free coffee and tea. It also had super nice rooms with lots of outlets, a book exchange and a kitchen that was well set up.   It was a backpackers dream.  I have a sneaky suspicion that because it was the off season we got way more than what was usually offered, but whatevs.  It was great! 



When we found the place the owner was on his afternoon break so we put our backpacks behind the counter and went for a stroll through Nelson.

Nelson was pretty small.  It didn’t take us too long to find grocery store and the information center.  We stopped at both loading up on food and information about Abel Tasman, a beautiful day hike we wanted to do.  After a bit of exploring we checked in and settled down for the night.

The Center of New Zealand

The next day we hiked a little hill that was labeled the Center of New Zealand hike.  This was a little hard on my knee, resting was defiantly necessary to heal it up again.  One of our hitchhiking rides had told us about the nelson market and how good it was.  So we headed over after our hike to that to do a little shopping.

Nelson Market

I picked up a green stone necklace for Ashlie, telling her it was a gift for my sister.  Green stone necklaces are iconic of New Zealand, but you can’t buy one for yourself.  Only another can gift them to you.  Ashlie had been talking about these necklaces since I arrived.  She really wanted one, and I was sure one of her Waiheke crew would have given her one before she left.  It didn’t happen, so I was waiting until I found the right place to buy one for her.  I heard Nelson had a high quality and lower price than the usually tourist spots so I waited until we arrived.  This necklace was only $60, and was New Zealand green stone.  You can get a variety of qualities ranging in price from hundreds to $20.  I knew I wanted something from New Zealand, but nice quality as well.  The necklaces have a lot of meaning behind each symbol.  Here is chart to help you out.  

 I got her the traveling safely over water one.  I know she’s going to being traveling the world a lot more after New Zealand.

  The market was full of deliciousness.  Hellish relish was my favorite booth.  They had so many different sauces and I wanted to buy them all.  In the end we got one for Eve and Bill, our next wwoofing host. 

After the market it was off to hitch hike again.  This time to Motueka, close to our wwoofing spot.  We got picked up by a nice guy and his nephew.  He picks up hitchers all the time and told us a few stories about them.  He also told us a few scary stories of hitch hikers being picked up by the wrong people.  Not exactly what I would like to hear, but it was good of him to warn us.  He wanted to drop us off right at wwoofing house, but it was a bit out of the way.  Instead he dropped us off at the I-site and Bill picked us up about 15 minutes later.  

Bill and Eve are some of the loveliest people I have spent time with.  Bill works at home and Eve works in her garden and kitchen.  The night we got in Eve had prepared a roast, vegetables and gravy.  Both Eve and Bill like wine, so we had a glass and lots of good conversation.  Ashlie had met the couple at a wedding at Goldie Vineyard and when they heard she was traveling and wwoofing New Zealand they invited her to their garlic farm.  I was lucky enough  to tag along for the ride.

The garlic harvest season was already done by the time we arrived.  So there was little to do with the garlic farm.  In the end we helped Eve plant native trees and do normal winter prep type things.  One of my favorite things we did was making jam.  Eve had tons of fruit in her freezer and we helped her make raspberry jam and golden berry jam.  The golden berries were so yummy by themselves I could see why you would want to preserve them.  

While we were there Eve and Bill let the neighbor’s sheep graze on their property.  This alone lead to some hilarity.  Ashlie really wanted to pet a sheep so she got up to some shenanigans to try and catch one.  These sheep were not people friendly, so they always ran away from her.  Eve and I got lots of giggles out of her running after them down the driveway and trying to sneak up to them on hands on knees.  It was crazy adorable.  I wish I had taken pictures.  

Eve and Bill also had chooks, or as I would say chickens.  These guys were fed once a day and let out to graze as well.  Eve told me that they would also have a dog soon.  They were waiting until after their trip abroad to get one.

So lets get down to the nitty gritty.

To make jam:

Pectin is essentail.  Pectin is a jelling substance that occurs naturally in many fruits. It is most concentrated in pips, cores and skin. The cell walls of under-ripe fruit contain pectose, an insoluble substance that changes into soluble pectin as the fruit ripens. Slightly under-ripe fruits are best for jellies and jams.

Some fruits are high in pectin, while others have very little. One can compensate for those by mixing low and high pectin fruits such as blackberry and apple.

The first jam we made was raspberry, which is high in pectin, which means the jelly formed quite naturally and we didn't need many ingredients for it to form a nice jam. Here is what we did.

We took a few kilos of raspberries out of the freezer and heated them over the stove on medium heat until they were brought to a boil.  Then we added equal amounts of sugar to fruit.  Gradually adding until the sugar until it was dissolved. Stir continuously during this process.  Bring to a boil, after sugar is dissolved, for about five minutes, and pour into sterilized jars.  Once the jam is cool apply lids.

To sterilize jars you can boil them or do as we did.  Which is bake them at 225 degrees F for 20 minutes and boil the lids.  It is important to make sure your jars are dry and sanitary before you can. If they are not sanitary it can lead to growth in unwanted bacteria.

golden berries

We also made golden berry jam.  You might not know what a golden berry is, but you should want to know. When they are fresh they are a fruit I would love to eat until there are no more.  When they are frozen, I still want to eat them, but I understand canning them much more.

So for these we had to be a bit more careful with the recipe. Golden berries are not as east to can as raspberries. They have a lower pectin percentile so we had to add a few more things to the jam.

First we took the frozen golden berries out of the freezer and defrosted them over the stove, bringing them to a boil.  While you do this, you will need to mash them. These fruit are similar to tomatoes, so they have a thicker skin and many seeds, but that doesn't stop them from having a delicious sweet and tart taste.

After this you add sugar to taste, this can mean equal amounts to berries or less, and then you need to test it while you are cooking.   You also want to add lemon juice or citric acid at this time.  About 1/2 tsp should be fine.  This helps the jam set up, similar to pectin. Same as with the raspberry jam recipe, add gradually and stir continuously.  But this time every once in a while take out a bit to see if it has set up.  This is to see if the pectin has set up.  It will be a jelly consistency after a few minutes of cooling down.  When you .ave reached this point pour jam into sterilized jars.

native trees of New Zealand

 
We also spent a lot of time around the native trees of New Zealand.  New Zealand, like Australia, had a a problem with non-native plants invading and taking over.  So Eve, fresh from her organics coarse, knew all about what native trees she should plant and where.  It's important to reestablish the native plants.  Eve and many others are taking the first step to reintroducing, and hopefully, retaking the land with the native plants that once dominated the New Zealand landscape.   So when I was with Eve I learned about several trees that were useful.  One in particular Eve was interested in was the wattle for its capacity to create fire wood.

broom

Kiwis, I have found, are very interested in green energy.  This is most apparent in the home, where most depend on a wood burning stove more than central heating controlled by the local electricity source.  I think this is grand, but personally have no idea how this effects the environment in the end.

Eve was also interested in planting wind breaks.  This was so she could eventually create a successful orchard of fruit trees.  So for the wind break we planted totara, manuka, karo and rimu. She is also always battling the continuous growth of goss and broom.   These invasive plants that easily overtake the native landscapes of New Zealand.

 During our stay I was getting worried.  Ashlie’s cold was getting worse and worse.  Eve was worried as well, and we encouraged her to sleep and rest.  Ashlie was a little reluctant, because wwoofing is about an exchange of work for food and accommodation, but in the end she worked a bit and rested a bit.  Better than nothing. 

I was impressed at all the information about cooking and gardening that Eve had to offer.  I wished I could stay for a longer period of time to absorb all this woman knew.  She had been a professional gardener in Christchurch before she married Bill, and it showed with her little plots laid out all around the house.  Because it was getting to be winter I couldn’t learn as much as I wanted but I did get to absorb a few things while I was there.  She had also taken a class on organic farming and I could tell she was excited about sharing the information and telling me how she incorporated it on her little plot of land.

We had a few opportunities to give Eve a taste of American culture.  I was at a loss of what do from upstate New York but Ashlie defiantly had an idea for Texas.  She made Gumbo one day and biscuits and gravy the next.  


 In the end I made bread, because I love bread.  But I should have made salt potatoes or clam chowder.  I love gumbo and biscuits and gravy, so really there was no loss.  Mmm… Ashlie had promised me gumbo before she left as well.  The gumbo Ashlie mastered by herself, but for the biscuits and gravy I got to make the gravy.  We had a good time cooking for Eve and Bill and they enjoyed it a lot.

 Eve also made us some amazing meals.  The one I remember the most was the bacon wrapped Pork meat loaf.  It was so easy and delicious, as is everything with bacon. 

suspension bridge

While we were there we also wanted to see about getting to Abel Tasmen.  This is a three day hike, but you can make shorter hikes by taking ferries.  The day we chose was a bit cloudy in the morning and then sunny in the afternoon.  Eve offered to take us out there.  While we were hiking she would visit a friend, go to the library and just read in a café.  How nice.  

The hike was just beautiful.  There were cliffs, jungle, beach, coves, rivers, waterfalls, bridges… really nice.  The hike we picked was about five hours. 

 

 

 

view from the ferry

We elected to take ferry out and a ferry back.  Original Ashlie wanted to do a much longer hike, but I was worried about my knee I injured on the last hike and about her health.  This Hike ended up being perfect. 
 

seals!

We were accompanied by elementary students on the boat over and got to see some seals and apple rock before the drivers went to drop us off.  The drivers even had a race and splashing war before we go there.  Perfect.

Over all the hike was really nice and relaxing, but the last hour my knee hurt pretty bad.  I still needed some healing time.  That’s always good to know.  We found the beach where we were supposed to be picked and just waited for a while.  Eventually the boat came and we had to wade in water to get taxi.  That water was cold!

some of my favorite pictures

 Eve took us on a scenic drive on the way home and Bill came in real late that night from a business trip.

The next night was our last night with Eve so I made Pumpkin soup and gave Ashlie her goodbye present.  I knew that we would be hitch hiking the next day and things might get crazy before I could give it to her.  So with Eve’s help I wrapped it up all special and wrote a little note for her.  She was super happy, exactly how I wanted to end our time together.