Rain, Work and Nothing Much to Do

After sending out countless applications, someone finally got back to me. I now work on a kumara farm in Kaitaia (after Tauranga, I stayed in Auckland and Whangarei before I made it to Kaitaia to split up the drive). I earn minimum wage and can’t work most days because of the rain. Averaging about three days a week seems realistic. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really help with the money I’ve already spent — or the costs still to come.

As we found out, there are two worker groups staying at my hostel. We both work on kumara farms, just for different companies. The job is identical: standing on a harvester, separating the kumara from the plant, picking it off one conveyor belt, and placing it onto another. It’s repetitive and physically demanding.

At least the other group earns more per hour, gets more consistent work, and even received holiday pay for Easter. So… one week down, three to go. There’s not much to do around here — it’s not the most exciting place. But if opportunity knocks, I’ll open the door.

Due to the heavy rain brought to the North Island by ex-Tropical Cyclone Tam, there hasn’t just been a lack of work — there’s been no real chance to move around or do anything. Between showers, I tried to explore Ahipara for a bit, but only lasted five minutes outside before the rain forced me back into my car.Read more