Tea and Talk

I'm a slacker. (That's all you are getting for an apology for the long silence).

I'm now in the ever beautiful, ever interesting Rathmoy Fish and Pheasant Lodge. I got here a couple days ago after another brief stint in Auckland. I took the bus at 7:45am (WAY too early) and arrived in Flat Hills around 3:30pm. It was a long bus ride, but the bus was really comfortable and it was a double decker so I felt terribly adventurous. I know I keep harping about the scenery but really, this country takes the scenery cake to an entirely new level. I saw my first New Zealand mountain around Taupo. It was absolutely breathtaking. There was a bit of cloud but the peak was brilliantly clear and covered in snow. My bus driver was giving something of a running commentary all the way throughout our travels and he told us that some of the Lord of the Rings had been filmed in that area. I didn't get any good pictures from the bus, but I am really hoping to borrow one of the cars from my new boss (Mark) one day and do a day trip up there to do some "tramping" (the New Zealand word for hiking). I suspect that that area of the north island will be one of my favourites. There are mountains, hills, fields, gorges, sand, and everything else you could dream of all in a small area. The grass in that area is especially interesting. It looks almost like a golf green. It's thick and appears to be flat but when you step on it it's actually a couple inches deep. Very deceiving. Anyway.
I arrived at Flat Hills and Mark and his lovely girlfriend Andrea (an Argentinian film producer) picked me up to take me to the lodge. The lodge is situated along the Rangitikei River and near the town of Hunterville. The lodge is a lot smaller than I thought. It sleeps about 10 people and has two large sitting rooms, 3 bathrooms, and a kitchen. There is a cricket pitch, a crochet field (?), an archery area, and an ax throwing board. There is also fishing, jet boating, clay disk shooting, pheasant shooting, a campground, and a ton of sheep and fields. It's absolutely gorgeous and peaceful. It really is an upperclass escape resort. My job here is extremely varied. I will do anything from sorting pheasant eggs, to grubbing thistles (basically hacking out thistles with a hoe like thinger), to cleaning the lodge, to serving functions. We've had one function so far. It was an engagement party of a local couple. There were about 60 people and I ran the bar with one of my bosses (Muzzy). The locals are really kind and welcoming. I've already been invited to go camping, go horseback riding, go shooting, go hunting, play rugby, to work at the local pub, to get married, and many other things. I'm really feeling comfortable and at home. I'm living in my boss Mark's house on the hill above the lodge. It's just me and him and Muzzy there. Then there is Pete up the road, Chris lives in town and there about 4 other guys that come and go. Basically it's me and a ton of middle ages men. It's awesome. I'm the princess and also one of the guys. It's a great balance and it means that I get worked hard but if I'm feeling lazy I can totally wiggle out of working. Haha. Alright. I need sleep. I've got a bit of a cold and for some reason I insist on staying up late to write these blogs. But, my lovelies, I want to keep you posted. It means a lot to share my adventures with you. I hope you enjoy reading about them.
That's all for tea and talk tonight.
Julia