Manapouri

Emily Embo  🇬🇧 House & Pet Sitting in Te Anau. Sometimes, it's the little things in life, like fireflies in the night, that bring us the most joy. Well, who guessed it? We're now in Te Anau, where the glowworms inhabit the caves. Last Thursday (September 7th), we spontaneously found someone to house-sit for. We had to drive about 1.5 hours north along the West Coast. The property is situated between Manapouri and Te Anau, home to two cats and a dog in need of sitters for a week. The couple is heading to Australia, and we share evening meals as we get to know each other. Fred is half German; his mother fled from Silesia during the war, just like Emily‘s grandmother. His mother was also in Dresden during the bombing, survived it, and then moved to the West. However, Fred mostly grew up in England and still speaks some German. Pam is from New Zealand, and we had the opportunity to learn about her background too. Those moments when you sit with strangers, engage in conversations, and even discover commonalities are what make traveling so valuable to me. You repeatedly experience how strangers become friends in a short time, and then farewells come. For us, it's time to move on, not far away, just 15 minutes further, directly to Te Anau. Here, we've found work at a hotel and holiday park. We clean the small apartments, nothing exciting, and only for five hours a day. In return, we can stay at the hotel's campground very affordably and get discounts for the typical sightseeing attractions. I already had my first day today, and it was really good (more on that will come later). We'll be staying for 10 weeks and hope to explore a lot in this area during that time. There's so much to see, and we're excited! It's also sooo beautiful here, and spring is slowly beginning. It can hardly get any better.

Traveler  🇨🇵 Garde de maison (et d'animaux) à Te Anau. Parfois, ce sont les petites choses de la vie, comme les lucioles dans la nuit, qui nous apportent le plus de joie. Eh bien, devinez qui ? Nous sommes maintenant à Te Anau, où les lucioles habitent les grottes. Jeudi dernier (le 7 septembre), nous avons trouvé spontanément quelqu'un pour garder une maison. Nous avons dû conduire environ 1h30 vers le nord le long de la côte ouest. La propriété est située entre Manapouri et Te Anau, où vivent deux chats et un chien qui ont besoin de gardiens pendant une semaine. Le couple part en Australie, et nous partageons des repas le soir tout en apprenant à nous connaître. Fred est à moitié allemand ; sa mère a fui la Silésie pendant la guerre, tout comme la grand-mère d'Emily. Sa mère était aussi à Dresde pendant le bombardement, elle l'a survécu, puis s'est installée à l'ouest. Cependant, Fred a grandi principalement en Angleterre et parle toujours un peu allemand. Pam est néo-zélandaise, et nous avons eu l'occasion d'en apprendre davantage sur son passé.