After 3 months of happy traveling on the south island i had pretty much run out of money and was eager to find a job. i went straight to Blenheim because a lot of people had told me that there were a lot of opportunities at vinyards there. After about two days of asking around and searching the internet one job (which i found on seasonaljobs) in particular caught my eye. it was a live in possition on a family-run vinyard, named isabel vinyard, near Renwick just east of Blenheim. i called the number and 2 hours later i was picked up and drove straight to my new job!
After 5 weeks of work i can now say that it is one of the best experiences ive had in New Zealand. The people here realy try to make you a part of the team and have a realy relaxing attitude. Whenever we want to go to town for weekly shoppings we can just use one of the cars without paying anything. And the great thing about working on a vinyard is the abundance of wine. Every end of the week we go to cellar and get some free half empty left over bottles, people didnt finish at winetastings. So theres plenty of fun in the weekends.
The work itself consists of hanging nets over the vines to protect them from birds and clipping them together. its hard work because you are bending down for about 9 hours a day, but in the mean time you can talk with eachother and fantasize on what youll be doing with all the money youre making. Another more exiting part of the job is bird scaring. That doesnt mean having to stand around in a field with a rake looking angry all the time, but driving through the plants on a fourwheeler 30 miles an hour. it really gives you a kick, speeding through the fields in the sun with cloudy mountains in the distance (and getting payed for it!).
We live in a lodge on the vinyard itself for a small fee which is deducted from our salary. At the other end of the vinyard is another house where all the woofers live. A couple of times a week we get together to watch a movie or enjoy a glass of well deserved homegrown Sauvignon Blanc. its a really cool atmosphere meeting new people every week, sharing travel experiences and tips on where to go next.
Pretty soon harvest is starting which according to the people here is the best time of the year. So ill be sticking around for a while, not having the feeling im working but just having a great time!