The HONGI group arrived at Mangarara Farm on a rainy, cold and dreary afternoon. The damp weather did nothing to sway our excitement over the sight of lambs and sheep. As we approached the driveway we had no idea what was in store for us at the farm, but we all were anxious to begin our week with the Hart family.
The Harts gave us the warmest of welcomes including hot tea, local honey, a roaring fireplace and bags of cookies. Farmer Greg, the tall, strapping, knowledgeable, hard working proprietor of the farm gave us a brief history of the property that is now known as Mangarara. He talked about how they have worked tirelessly to create a sustainable way of life on the farm. The lodge which we stayed in was completely sustainable, from composting food waste to human waste, using filtered rainwater for drinking and bathing, and a heating system run by fire. All of the food that we ate during our stay either came directly from the farm or from a local source. Sustainability for the win!
Farm work was hard but rewarding. We spent the week pruning trees, weeding intense thistle patches, milking cows, massaging their udders, feeding all of the farm animals, including pigs, calves and chickens. We also collected eggs from the hen house, engaged in cooking meals with Rachel Hart, Greg’s wife and cook extraordinaire. During our down time from work, usually when it was raining, Greg would take us out on runs to explore the farm, through gorgeous hilly native forest and swampy pastures.
Since the Mangarara farm received over 20% of their annual rainfall during our stay, we had time for many Carpe Diem Lessons, taught by our wonderful leaders, Lauren and Avi. We learned about Love Languages: how people have different ways of showing and receiving love and appreciation, we learned what each of our love languages are, and got a chance to show love and appreciation to a partner that we were assigned for the week. We also talked about “walking the circle”, which gave us an example of how to look through different perspectives and identify with people that think differently from us. We also touched on the different types of communication, from Active Constructive to Passive Destructive, and acted out skits depicting each one. Greg also had us watch “Food Inc.” and lead a discussion on sustainable food systems.
On our last full day, the Hart family took us on a field trip to nearby Napier, the Art Deco Capital of the world. We got a chance to wander around the city and soak in the hot pools by the sea. It was awesome!
It was hard saying goodbye to the Harts, so naturally, we wrote and performed a farewell song for them. The Hart children made us a traditional pavlova cake which was so, so delicious. We embarked early from the farm, a gorgeous dawn, and headed off towards our next adventure at the Blue Mountain Adventure Centre. We’ll miss the farm, but we are looking forward to our next chapter at BMAC! Look forward to a blog in the upcoming week about our time in the mountains.
Love from New Zealand,
Lina Gomez and Claudia Arndt