From the top of St Paul's Rock

With all the stormy weather we've had in the last week it's been a bit difficult to get a decent impression of the Bay of Islands despite having been to Paihia, Matauri Bay (the final resting place of the Greenpeace flagship, "Rainbow Warrior") and Opito Bay - all these places are very picturesque in their own right but not so nice in the torrential rain!

Taking advantage of the beautiful Easter weather, we drove 30km north of Kerikeri to Whangaroa Harbour to get away from the tourist traps so we could hike up St Paul's Rock, as recommended by one of the visitor's guides I read.

Whangaroa is like many of the other townships in the Bay of Islands, in that there isn't much to these places but the surrounding scenery is pretty stunning. At the bottom of the harbour the dome (or volcanic plug) of St Paul's Rock dominates Whangaroa, but it did make me wonder "how on earth do you get to the top?"...

The marina at Whangaroa is New Zealand's most northerly marina 

The volcanic plug of St Paul's Rock rises 213m above Whangaroa

The walk to the top starts off at Old Hospital Road, however, you have to drive up quite a steep single track road, which has limited turning opportunities and only a couple of places to park vehicles at the reserve, otherwise it's another 1km walk from the bottom.

From the bottom of the stile, the walk to the top is roughly 20 - 25 minutes, one-way, over some fairly steep terrain, however, there were some chains running through the middle of the rock which we had to use to pull ourselves to the top - explaining how it was possible to get onto the dome!

The chains make the final stretch of the walk look more dramatic than it is! 

Despite the brief momentary feeling of vertigo, the views from the top were absolutely knockout. Across the harbour you could see where the coastal waters changed from a sparkling blue to a brilliant turquoise. The harbour is characterised by rocky bluffs and the formations that dominate the scenery are remnants of ancient volcanoes that erupted about 20 million years ago.

It's a fine line between success and failure!

View across to Totara North on the west side of the harbour

Peach (Ohauroro) Island

Waitapu Bay

A couple of tourists spoiling the view!

I managed to create a couple of panoramic shots of the beautiful vistas across the harbour, hi-res versions of these images can be viewed by clicking on the caption links below.

A panoramic view looking southwest from the top of St Paul's Rock - click here to view in hi-res

View facing north east in the opposite direction towards the harbour entrance - click here to view in hi-res

A close encounter with Haruru Falls

I've never really been the kind of person who would take to the water like a duck. I've tried sailing and dabbled a bit with snorkelling but nothing has really eased my fears about going in the water, so what better than to trying a spot of coastal kayaking as well!

Booking ourselves onto a half-day guided tour in Paihia, we wanted to try something new (and treat Lizzie's mum for her birthday), as well as get a flavour of what the Bay of Islands are about. However, half the battle was trying to find a reasonable day to fit this in as the weather has been absolutely atrocious with the reminents of a tropical cyclone hitting most of the North Island.

When we arrived at the waterfront at Ti Point in Paihia I was completely blown away the scenery as it looked like something straight off a postcard. It's hard to describe why it was impressive, but maybe it was the shimmering water, lush vegetation, small fragmented islands or a combination of all three.

After getting all kitted out with our life jackets and "spray skirts" (they're supposed to stop water splashing in the kayak but mine didn't cover the cockpit properly) we set off on the choppy waters around Te Ti Bay. We were put into double kayaks as the guide felt the wind and current would make it difficult for those on their own to make their way back down the estuary. This meant that I was sitting in the front of one kayak with Lizzie's dad in the back, whilst Lizzie was in the back of the other kayak with her mum up front. The job of the person in the front of the double kayak (me and Lizzie's mum) was to set the pace of paddling, and the job of the person in the rear (Lizzie and her dad) was to control the rudder via foot peddles, to help steer the kayak.

Lizzie and her mum in the tandem kayak

Me in the other kayak with Lizzie's dad

Not long after clipping the Waitangi Bridge with the front of the kayak and trying to get ourselves used to steering in the currents, we managed to paddle upstream along the Waitangi River at a steady pace. Along the way we saw some Pied Shags (Phalacrocorax varius) or Karuhiruhi as they're known in Māori, roosting in the Pohutukawa (New Zealand Christmas) trees - apparently, Pied Shags are the only webbed footed bird that makes nests in trees.

A Pied Shag about to feed it's chick

Getting my feet onto dry for a well-earned break 

Haruru Falls (which means big noise in Māori) are 4km west of Paihia, where the Waitangi River drops over a basalt lava flow, which has formed in a rare horseshoe shape. Having managed to have a relaxing paddle up the Waitangi River, our guide suggested that we could paddle into the waterfall! At this point I'm crapping myself at the thought of this, as my main fear with any water-related transport is the thought of capsizing.

After having a practice paddle across the face of the waterfall, the guide reassured us that we would be pushed back by the force of the water at the base of the falls. We were hoping to take it gently on our first attempt at tackling the waterfall, but before I knew it we were heading directly for the middle of falls and there was no prospect of an easy time! It was quite an intense experience but once we came through the other side I could take a sigh of relief only to do it a couple more times having felt a little reassured that they kayak wouldn't capsize.

They don't call Haruru Falls "big noise" for nothing!

If you squint hard enough you can just see me entering the falls!

Lizzie and her mum being pushed away from the base of the falls

Our tour guide Sky, showing us how it's really done!

The rocks in the water are ballast from ships that once sailed the river

After playing around by the waterfall we then paddled against the current, back towards the mangrove forest to weave our way through trees. The mangrove trees of New Zealand are an important ecosystem and only grow in the top half of the North Island. The water around the mangrove was so shallow it wouldn't have come up to your knees and it was almost easier to move the kayak around by pushing the riverbed with the paddles!

At the other end of the mangrove was the final stretch of the river before we got back to Ti Beach. It was hard work paddling against the tide with the wind blowing against us but it was good to get my feet back onto dry land and to wash the sea salt out of my eyes!

The final push back to Te Ti Bay from the mangrove forest

All I can say is that I'm glad I survived my first coastal kayaking experience, but I'm definitely going to hurt all over for the next couple of days.

Sunset over Te Ti Bay

Up to the Bay of Islands

It's with a heavy heart that we have to leave Hawke's Bay to find some work up in the Bay of Islands, in time for the start of the kiwifruit picking season, which runs from April to June. Napier has been our home for the last 5 weeks, and there have a lot of highs and thankfully only a few lows.

We've met some brilliant people at our hostel, Archie's Bunker (the same hostel we stayed at on our original trip!) and we even managed to find some temporary work, although the whole apple picking fiasco was the only sour point of our stay. It eventually turned out that despite what you're told, employees are entitled to the minimum wage in New Zealand even on piece rates and if you don't get this then your employer is breaking the law.

For the last three weeks I've been working for Judd Dougan Team Architects (originally Natusch and Sons), one of the original members of the Associated Architects in Napier who were the principals of the four major architecture practices. It provided an interesting insight into the architecture industry in New Zealand, which isn't dissimilar to the UK in that there has been quite a slow down in the last couple of years, but it's showing signs of recovery from the global recession.

One of the last things we did on our final weekend in Hawke's Bay was to scale Te Mata peak, located a short distance from Napier (25 km away) on the outskirts of Havelock North. Legend tells us that the ridge is meant to be the body of the Māori chief, Rongokako, lying down after having choked on a rock as he tried to eat his way through the hill. At the very top of the peak you can get beautiful panoramic views across the Heretaunga Plains - on a clear day it's supposedly possible to see Mt Ruapehu in the heart of Tongariro National Park.

Lizzie in front of the 399m high limestone bluffs

View looking back to Napier

Hopefully we'll be back in Napier before too long, but for now Kerikeri is our ultimate destination as we head up to the most northern region of the North Island to check out the much touted Bay of Islands. Famous for its sub-tropical weather and beautiful blue waters with around 150 islands punctuated throughout, the area also holds enormous historical significance for the Māori as well as the first Europeans who settled here, when the British started colonising Aotearoa or New Zealand as it's now known.

Driving north of Napier along the Thermal Explorer Highway (State Highway 5) where we stopped off in Rotorua via Taupo to see some familiar sites at Kuirau Park (a public park with lots of geothermal activity) and down by Lake Rotorua - the second largest lake on the North Island.

Continuing along State Highway 5, we eventually stopped off at Hamilton to break up the journey and spend the night there, although I can't say I was impressed by the small part of Hamilton we saw and I don't think we'll bother making a return trip!

Kuirau Park is a good place to see free geothermal activity in Rotorua

The next day we left early to drive up the motorway through Auckland, as it was still another 5 hours to Kerikeri. Taking a brief detour to avoid the Northern Gateway Toll Road, we briefly joined the Hibiscus Coast Highway where we stopped off in Orewa for lunch. From there we drove State Highway 1 all the way up to Kerikeri for roughly 210 kms.

The place we're staying at is on the outskirts of the town, called Kerikeri Farm Hostel. It's an animal lovers paradise so Lizzie feels very much at home! There are two dogs at the hostel, a one year old Labrador called Nika - she's a lovely dog who's very excitable but also likes to jump up at you and chew your hand if she gets too carried away! There's also another dog called Weewee who is a little older and very affectionate, although she's a little overweight and is currently on a diet. Apparently, there's an elusive cat around called Mr Stink, however he's quite shy and we haven't seen him yet.

Throw Nika a stick and she'll be your new best friend

Weewee loves her back being scratched!

The farm hostel also has two female kunekune pigs (which means 'fat and round' in Māori), a sheep called "Fluffy" and a whole host of free range chickens, which are quite tame and friendly.

These were once cute little piglets. Oink oink!

The cockerel is a reliable morning alarm clock

This chicken wouldn't look out of place in the film Tron!

Exploring the local area we ventured 2 km from town down to the Kerikeri Basin, which was the site chosen by Samual Marsden for the Church Missionary Society's second mission in New Zealand. The site is home to New Zealand's oldest standing European buildings - the Stone Store and  Kerikeri Mission House (Kemp House). The Stone Store is the oldest surviving stone building in New Zealand and was constructed in 1836 - it kind of reminds me of the old wool mill buildings back at home in Witney, Oxfordshire. The store served as a central provision store for the Church Missionary Society. Nearby is Kemp House, which is New Zealand's oldest European building constructed between 1820-21. Although, it's less than 200 years old, Kemp House still pre-dates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand's founding document) by almost 20 years.

The old Stone Store across the Kerikeri River

More info about what the store was used for can be found inside

Opposite the Kerikeri Basin Reserve is the start of a walk along the Kerikeri River to Wharepuke Falls, where we got an awesome view of a Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus).

A Pukeko (New Zealand Swamp Hen) on the opposite side of the river

The Kingfisher is also known by its Māori name, Kōtare 

Wharepuke Falls are a 20 minute walk from the Stone Store 

The track follows the north bank of the river, passing through some kiwi habitat and regenerating native trees such as kauri and tōtara. Further up the river are Rainbow Falls (or Waianiwaniwa, which in Māori means "Waters of the Rainbow"), which are 27m high. There's a decent lookout from the top and the falls certainly lived up to their name as there were lots of rainbows created by all the mist in the air. It's possible to walk to the base of the falls but you are guaranteed to get a little damp from all the water vapour drifting in the air!

A rainbow formed from the spray of Rainbow Falls

There's no safety barriers to stop you falling in if you get too close!

Easy pickings? Things to consider when fruit picking

Quite a lot of people we've meet in New Zealand have been travelling on some form of working holiday visa, which can range from 12 to 23 months in length, however, you can only work for a total of 12 months. The quickest and most obvious way of earning some money is by doing some seasonal work such as working on an orchard somewhere on the North Island, notably in the Bay of Islands, Bay of Plenty or Hawke's Bay. But is it really that easy to casually make a quick buck to help fund your travels?

I decided to write the following post based on my own experiences when I went to work at the Tollemache Orchards in Hastings for local contractors M.V.T. Services Ltd - run by business owners, Mike and Heinnie. I wish I had lots of positive things to write about my brief time working as an apple picker, but it certainly gave me a better insight into some of the questionable working practices of contractors.

There are lots of stories about how it's possible to earn couple of hundred dollars a day picking fruit, but the reality is that this isn't achievable in the short-term and you'll only ever get to that level of earning if you've worked up to it long enough. Realistically you're looking at weeks or maybe months before you can adjust to that level of skill and endurance.

Also, more importantly you need to know what you're being paid and that you're being paid correctly. EVERYONE is entitled to the minimum wage, I've verified this with the Department of Labour so even if you're being paid on piece rates (i.e. per bin of fruit collected) you're still entitled to the minimum wage. According to the New Zealand Department of Labour:

"For employees on piece rates - for example, workers who get so many cents a kilogram for fruit picked, or so many dollars per garment produced - the total amount earned still can't be less than the minimum wage."

This somewhat contradicts what I was being told by Mike at M.V.T. Services Ltd, who informed me that I wouldn't getting the minimum wage, as I was contracted on a bin rate and it had been worked out by someone (but by who?) that the average worker could pick three bins of apples a day. Going on the bin rate that we were being paid ($30 per bin) in order to achieve the minimum wage for an 8 and ½ hour day we would need to pick four bins, which would earn you a total of $120 for the day, whereas on the minimum wage ($13.50 per hour, as of 1^stApril 2012) you should earn $114.75 for the same the number of hours.

The purpose of the minimum wage is to protect those who can't consistently pick 4 bins of apples a day and to prevent them from being exploited. However, this doesn't mean you can take the piss and do the bare minimum, as the employer would be well within their rights to ask you to leave if you're not being productive enough. If you can pick more than four bins worth of apples in a day then the bin rate is great, but from speaking to other backpackers this is generally the exception not the rule.

When you sit down and do the maths, the figures don't look great for the reward of your hard work. If you can pick two bins of apples per day at $30 per bin (bearing in mind that it took me three and a half hours to pick one bin), then for a day's work you'll be earning well below than the minimum wage if your employer refuses to comply with law and make your wages up to minimum pay. As mentioned before, to earn the minimum wage for an 8 and ½ hour day you would need to pick 4 bins worth of apples. I would consider myself a reasonably fit young person who isn't shy to do a day's hard work, but I could safely say that I wouldn't be earning the minimum wage for some considerable time. On the whole, I was largely made to feel expendable by the contractor when I made this point as I was told that there were any number of backpackers willing to take my job if I didn't like the situation.

Let's look at the rough economics of how a commercial orchard generates its money. Fruit is sold in the supermarket on a weight basis, per kilogram. For example, one kilogram of Gala apples will cost approx. $3.50 and one kilogram of plums will roughly cost $5.00. A full bin of apples weighs approximately 300kg. In a hypothetical situation, if the supermarket pays the orchard owner $2.00 per kilo to make some profit on what they sell in-store, the orchard owner will still make $600 per bin. Granted not all the fruit in the bins will be of the best quality and there will be some considerable wastage which is sorted in the packing house. But it makes you think how little you're getting for what can be very hard and physical work. Be warned that this is massively over simplified as there are other stages to consider in the process including the investment made on managing the trees before they bear any fruit, as well as the work done in the pack house, etc., but it definitely gives some food for thought.

This was an apple bin that I picked just over two thirds full

If I can offer some small pearls of wisdom before you decide to take up a seasonal job such fruit picking, then the first thing you should consider is whether you're suited for this type of work. If you've never had a job before or you're not normally inclined to do manual work but are looking for a quick source of money, a fruit picking job probably won't be for you as you'll end up quite frustrated and begrudge the lack of earnings. The higher bin rates seen advertised often involve picking the fruit later in the season but there is less to pick so will you have fewer bins to show for you efforts.

However, if you do still want to be a fruit picker, then try and get signed up early with a couple of orchards, at least 2-3 weeks before the fruit picking season starts as there will be plenty of other people in the same position looking for jobs. Most orchards will require you to work 6 day weeks as seasonal work can only be between 8-12 weeks. So find out what days you're likely to be working as you will be expected to work every day you're asked. Also, for picking apples and kiwi fruits this is weather dependent, so if you don't get a good run of weather (like what has happened this season), you're earning potential will be lower than estimated.

Some hostels will try and arrange work for you, this is fine if you plan to stay at the hostel for the duration of your employment. But if you decided to move on elsewhere but want to stay working at the same orchard you might be asked to leave by the employer due to the arrangements they have with the hostels who find them workers at often short notice. Also, if possible try to avoid working for contractors, my experience was that once I was dealing directly with the orchard owner you can build up a rapport and they would be open to flexible work arrangements.

Most important of all is know what your rights are. Just because you're a backpacker in a foreign country doesn't mean that you should be taken advantage of. If you feel that you're not receiving the minimum wage you should report this to the Department of Labour who have a free phone number (0800 20 90 20) and get some advice. Although, I get the impression that this is common practice with fruit picking, it is against the law. You should get some contact details for your employer including the business name and number, plus if possible a contact name, number and address (this should at least be on your contract - if not ask).

The intention of the post isn't to deter anyone from doing seasonal work but to give people a better understanding of what they're letting themselves in for. Seasonal work can be a great way to meet new people especially as you will be in the same situation and can share experiences associated with the role. If anything, it should also be used as an opportunity (without trying to sound like a cliché) to expand your horizons.