Oamaru, New Zealand
Living off your own land involves a lot of skills, some of which I have but many of which I lack. WWOOF, or Willing Workers on Organic Farms, offers people like me the opportunity to learn first-hand on a working farm. The organization matches farmers (the hosts) with WWOOFers (travelers like me). In exchange for 4-5 hours of farm help per day, the hosts provide room and board. This arrangement offers plenty of time for relaxing and seeing the local sites. First stop: Oamaru, New Zealand.
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| Fields of sunflowers outside of Oamaru, New Zealand
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| Gail and I work on the farm, with help from Goldie and Blaze |
Our hosts were Gail and Zim, American expats who uprooted their suburban life in Denver to start a farm in New Zealand three years ago. It was quite the transition for them but luckily they are smart, resourceful people. In just three years they have transformed their land into a fertile permaculture farm. They have big plans for the future that include native plant restoration and building their own earthship home!
In terms of learning new skills, our first farmstay in New Zealand did not disappoint. It was like 4 years of farming college condensed into 10 days. During our stay, we helped while Gail and Zim made homemade butter, cream cheese, mozzarella, ice cream, juice, two different types of bread, beer and wine. We helped milk the cows, feed the chickens, ducks, and turkeys, strung electric wire paddocks for the horses, herded the sheep, stacked hay, moved stone, potted plants, harvested vegetables, and repaired the chicken coup. And we were able to learn something from even mundane activities like stacking wood, weeding the gardens, and composting.
They may have gotten a bit of work from us, but we learned a whole lot from them!
