Chapter 8 - Kiwi ... Kiwi ... Kiwi ...

Kiwi, by definition, is a type of flightless bird found native in NZ, and only in NZ. The people of NZ are also known as Kiwis. On the other hand, the most popularly known kiwi refers to a type of fruit. And here we are in the Kiwifruit Capital of the World – Te Puke, again. This time, we will be staying here for at least three months, until the kiwi harvest season is over. 

We had finally moved into our newly rented rooms. Although the landlady can be quite nagging at times, and is particularly thrifty, undeniably, she is quite knowledgeable in certain aspects. She brought us to collect pipi (a type of shellfish) at Papamoa Beach and to a church in Greerton, where we swept off some free breads and buns, which lasted us about one week. 

Work has not yet commenced, not till end of March, as we anticipated. We had gone through an induction programme, where newly employed seasonal workers were trained, assessed and have fingerprints scanned into their system. That simply means we are hired for sure but it’s pretty appalling we still have another one to two weeks to wait! Gosh…time doesn’t seemed to fly here anyhow. In fact, it’s moving at a snail’s pace. Booooooorrrrrrrring…… Te Puke is not a big town anyway. The most significant tourist attraction is the Kiwi 360, a complex with a café and a souvenir shop, and it offers tour to their kiwifruit orchard with their Kiwikart. This place is easily noticed with a giant kiwifruit as its landmark. There is no way we can leave this town and travel to other places at the moment, because we are actually running out of cash. Rentals are pretty expensive in this area, especially during this season. So, I’m keeping my fingers cross again this time around that work will start soon, and I mean real soon!!!!

25^th March, a long-waited day, as work has finally commenced. Woohoo~~ We were pretty glad to hear this good news as some of us were already “dried up” in the pocket. As the saying goes, “No bees, no honey; no work, no money”. However, the work was inconsistent for the time being as most of the kiwifruits were still young due to late harvest this year. We were positioned as graders, the people who picked up the rotten and damaged fruits from the good ones. Sounds easy huh? Not so when there are about 170 -200 kiwis rolling down per minute. To aggravate that, we need to scrutinize for punctures which was so teeny tiny that without good concentration and eyesight, one just simply can’t do the job properly. As a first timer, it was tough but we soon acclimatized to it. The one thing that keeps me perky in the workplace is of course the money, free snacks and not to forget, free kiwifruits up for grabs! Most of them are still in good conditions despite several punctures, mold, stains, blemishes, Hayward hooks and awkwardly-shaped fruits.  

Thanks to our on and off work, we finally couldn’t get ourselves imprisoned within this four-sided wall rooms anymore. It’s time to work out some activity. First, we went to Maketu, a small town along the Bay of Plenty coastline and gathered some mussels in the estuary. On another day, our landlady brought us to a place where chestnut trees were blossoming in Welcome Bay. Then a few days later, we found ourselves landing at Mount Maunganui, again. This time, we climbed up towards the summit to catch a glimpse of the sunset. The hike and the wait were worthwhile as it was mesmerizing and the fine weather made it all even more picturesque and stunningly beautiful. Most of the time, still, we had to stay in because there was just no other places to go to. I mean there were many but it would be quite some distances away. Then and again, we were kind of tight at the moment, so, back to staring at the “screens”. 

 

We had been working in the packhouse for one month, without realizing time had passed by so fast. We had the opportunity to grade a new variety of kiwifruit, the Sweet Green. Work schedule had yet to be stable as it is too weather-dependent so our work is still on and off. That one thing gives us the opportunity to go downtown – Rotorua. This region is famous for its geothermal activity and one can identify it by the smell of rotten egg (hydrogen sulphide) upon reaching the area. There are several hot spots including geysers, hot springs and mud pools, which made it popular for spa rejuvenation and therapy. Our journey began all the way to Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. There are three main features located sparsely around the area, which encompasses the Lady Knox Geyser, the Thermal Area and the Mud Pool. After buying the tickets at the visitor centre, we had a 3-minute drive towards the Lady Knox Geyser which is set to erupt daily at 10.15 am. After a brief introduction by a staff member, he popped in a surfactant into the cavity of the white-cone shaped geyser and foam began to bubble out. Soon after, eruptions took place causing jets of water shot up high, leaving the audience observed in awe. The mechanism of the eruptions is due to the breakage of the surface tension of cold water by the surfactant, causing a mixture with the hotter water below. 

Next, we went back to the Thermal Area that encompasses volcanic craters, coloured pools, sulphur caves, steaming grounds, geysers and other geothermal landscapes. Several more prominent attractions include the Artist’s Palette, Devil’s Bath, Oyster Pool and the most appealing highlight of them all – the Champagne Pool. The hot spring contains distinctive orange-coloured precipitates of elements and minerals (mostly arsenic and antimony) around the edge. In addition, the hot CO₂ gas steaming off it offers a paradise-like feeling, and gives sufficient warmth in the midst of the cold weather, which made us kind of refused to budge for quite some time! After spending about two hours revelled in the sensational God’s creations, we moved on to another site where the bubbling mud pools were located. The slogan of NZ’s most colourful geothermal area definitely lives up to its name. 

 

Before heading back to Te Puke, we had a short stopover at the Rotorua Museum located in the Government Gardens. Since we are not that interested with the history and art thing, we just took a few snapshots around the vicinity. Coincidentally, there was a marathon taking place and the finishing point happened to be in the gardens. So, some areas were cordoned off. But we still had some great shots of the red and yellow colour turning leaves, showing signs of autumn setting in.