Daymaker - a person who performs acts of kindness with the intention of making the world a better place.
~ David Wagner
, author of Life as a Daymaker; how to change the world by making someone's day ~

DayMaker - any thought, word, or deed that spreads happiness, compassion, or fruitful ideas.
~ Annis Cassells ~

Monday, September 29, 2014

F is for Farmstay in Fiordland


(photo from Internet)

One delight that we’ve had on tours all over the world has been getting an “insider’s view” of the country by having a home-cooked meal in private homes. On the New Zealand motorcycle tour we took in February of 2000, it went a step further. For two nights, we stayed at a farm out of Te Anau in Fiordland. This would be our “home base” for the next day’s excursion to Milford Sound.

Many farms in New Zealand produce sheep, while others raise combinations of cattle, deer, horses, and sheep.  Five of us, Judy and I, our friend Donna from Michigan, and two men from Minnesota, were assigned to the 875-acre sheep farm of Don and Dorothy Cromb.  After a sumptuous lunch at Lammerview Orchard, we found our destination with no trouble and entered the property via the long gravel driveway.

Our hosts, the Crombs, provided us with a warm and homey place to stay and interesting conversations.  Fellow biker Donna was especially interested in the workings of the sheep farm since she and her husband farmed in Michigan.

Dorothy Cromb was a real "farm wife.”  She fed us breakfast, including her homemade muesili , and prepared two delicious 3-course dinners for us. She tended to the details on-call to help with the bailing.  My thought about Dorothy was “Whatta Woman!” 

 “We enjoy having groups come,” Don said. “We can’t leave to go travel the world, so this way the world comes to us.” 

The second morning, before our departure, all of us bikers climbed into the back of Don’s pick-up. While Dorothy stripped the beds, did the laundry, and made ready for the next group, Don drove us around the farm for a tour. We all enjoyed seeing the place, and Donna had a lot of questions and made observations that enhanced the farm tour for the rest of us.

That day we rode out with an appreciation of New Zealand farm life and something tourists rarely experience: a chance to know how the real people in another country live. And, tucked away, we had the recipe for Dorothy’s muesili, which Judy made for us several times after we were back home. 
~ xoA ~

8 comments:

  1. It is fun to read your accounts of places visited and people met. I like the line “We enjoy having groups come,” Don said. “We can’t leave to go travel the world, so this way the world comes to us.” Terry Redman

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    1. They were a lovely couple. And sure, they were stuck on the farm, responsible for untold numbers of of sheep. We had a great time with them. Thanks for reading and commenting, Terry. xoA

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  2. How fun! Did you happen to find your hosts through couchsurfing.org?

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    1. The motorcycle tour company set it all up for us. It was a great experience. Thanks for writing, Mandy. xoA

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  3. Yes, I'm with Mandy...how did this get set up? What a special treat. Getting to know the people IS one of the special delights of traveling!

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    1. Our motorcycle tour company made all the arrangements for our accommodations. We just lucked out. Thanks for writing, Joan. xoA

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  4. It sounds like such a lovely experience. On both sides. I can definitely see the interest in having new and different people coming to visit on a regular basis...what stories they must get to hear!

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    1. They were so forthcoming with news about their lives as well as interested in hearing from all of us from different experiences and parts of the USA. Mealtime was quite a gabfest. Thanks for commenting, Anna. xoA

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