the group on the way to cathedral cove. left to right: bri, teresa, gemma, jen, rory, jenny, pino


much has changed here at the valley. since i last posted my trip has taken a very different direction, one that i am both excited and scared to embark upon. jon the director of tararu valley has put the volunteer project on hold, claiming there were not enough volunteers to meet the requirements of the valley's conservation needs. with this development he asked that the group leave on the 8th of march, leaving me with more than half my trip open ended. luckily enough i have made a close friendship with a girl named gemma from devon england who was also left stranded once asked to leave. we have made plans to explore the south island, starting in queenstown on the 12th, woofing on an organic farm in dunedin for two weeks, then hopping into our very own camper van for three weeks and making our way back up to the north island ending in auckland.
my time at the valley, although cut short has been one of the most amazing experiences i have ever had. i am not a stranger to being insanely dirty and tired from some good ol fashion hard work. i've had dirt under my nails for the past 5 weeks. i was infested by mites one afternoon after working on a pile of mulch. i constructed a chicken dome that will house chickens who compost our food. i woke up in the early morning to trek down to the chickens for some fresh eggs for breakfast. i slept under the most stars i have ever seen in my life. i learned i'm a pretty good baker. and i have made some of the greatest friendships. when i began at the valley the group was rather large but that quickly changed when several people left at once. this left a small group of us that became incredibly close. gemma from the uk, rory from scotland, pino from switzerland and me had more fun together than i thought possible. now that our time is over at the valley we are beginning to say goodbye to each other. it feels like your missing a limb each time someone leaves but that is the nature of the game.
i miss everyone so much at home. today was one of those days that makes you realize that traveling makes you feel alive but its not worth living if you aren't surrounded by the people you love.