Got The Truck

The truck we were looking at passed a COF with flying colours and has ticked all the boxes of criteria we wanted for a towing vehicle. So, we've bought it...

We've Ordered The Rig

The rig has been ordered! It will be put together in America at the beginning of June and shipped to N.Z. in July. Then it'll have the solar panels put on and hopefully we will collect it in August.

Casual Work So Far .....

When I was imagining what life would be like living on the road, I was excited about the opportunities I would have at working a variety of jobs and the people I’d meet. I realised my pay would be less, however I‘d had enough of feeling stressed and the endless need to gather evidence to prove I was doing my job. The thought of doing all sorts of jobs, meeting a range of people and being able to go home at the end of the day and leave work behind me seemed appealing.

To date, since leaving teaching, I‘ve had two jobs.

1). Care Giving for the elderly

The care givers I worked with were ‘gems’, they were professional and very caring. They’re super busy and understaffed and sadly are paid a very low hourly rate.

2). Quality Control for a Fruit Company

My hours of work are 8am to 5pm. It's physical work and super busy…inspecting boxes and boxes and boxes of fruit…signing off export fruit… packing and grading… moving 20kg boxes of apples.My hourly rate is only $16/hour! This surprised me, and not in a pleasant way! I thought doing various jobs wasn’t going to be about money. But, after working my butt off all week and then to discover … I was to be paid (after tax) $12.96 and hour! I wondered how anyone could pay a mortgage, groceries, petrol, power, etc

However on a positive note, I’ve met some lovely people…

While working at the retirement village, I met a cool Scottish lady who was so bubbly and a joy to work with. She'd never worked with the elderly before coming to N.Z two years ago. She seemed like an asset to the place, she lifted everyone's mood with her empathetic and positive demeanor.

At Compass Fruit, I met a couple from China, they’re both ‘Graphic Designers” traveling around N.Z. on a working holiday. Also at Compass Fruit I met a couple from Taiwain, back at home one of them was doing research on birds. But took this job while on a one year working visa.

Most of the staff at Compass Fruits are Tongans. They come to N.Z. to work the Apple Season and sign a contract to work for the company for two years. The company has an arrangement with a motel at Best Island for accommodation and their airfares are organised. This seems an attractive package as work is scarce in Tonga and the hourly rate as low as $3 to $4 an hour. So it’s understandable that some Tongans agree to leave their families and work here for $14 an hour. However out of their wage, they have to pay their accommodation, pay back their airfares, and send money back home to their community in Tonga. So, it doesn’t take long for their wages to disappear.

Bernie said his job at The MDF Plant is B.O.R.I.N.G…..it’s very repetitive and working 12 hour shifts in a timber factory. It's shown Bernie that he’s not an indoor working person and that mining is a job that he enjoys. Luckily he gets lots of days off so that’s a bonus.

After reading this post, it sounds as though we are ungrateful. However, it’s the opposite….we are both very grateful to be working and to have found jobs easily. I guess for me, it’s been a big wake up call about how low some wages are. So now it's up to me to make the most out of these working experiences.  

Enjoying Autumn Walks

One of the many benefits of being a dog owner are the walks you get to enjoy. It makes me appreciate the surroundings and the peacefulness.

Compass Fruits

After a very brief stint as a casual caregiver, I am now starting my next job. This time as a quality controller for Compass Fruits. My actual title is " Photosanitary Inspector" (I had to google that name before I applied for the job!).
Basically, it is the new name for quality control. My role will be looking at the apples for various bugs, mould, moths etc. So it's back to lab work again after 27 years. I'm looking forward to it.

Sorting out a towing vehicle

Finding a vehicle within our budget to tow a 5th wheeler was more involved than we initially thought.
There were lots of things to consider...

• The height from the turntable (for the 5th wheeler) on the back of the truck to the ground has to be below a certain height, or the truck will be towing the rig on an angle.
• There needs to be room from the 5th wheeler pin to the 5th wheeler so the end of the unit doesn't hit the truck.
• GCM (Gross Combined Mass)
• GVC (Gross Vehicle Mass)
• Enough horse power to tow around 7 and half tonne.

Dale from Star Trucking in Richmond has found an "Iveco" truck which seems to meet all the criteria.

Taking measurements to check the height is right for towing the 5th wheeler.

Looking at a 5th Wheeler

We've been thinking about getting a 5th wheeler instead of a house truck/bus. Bernie is keen to get something new so there will hopefully be no issues with things breaking down...well that's the theory!
There were a couple (Paul & Amanda) staying at the Richmond race course in their Big Country 5th wheeler that we went and chatted to. They have been living in theirs for 5 years and love the lifestyle. They had so much information that we went away with our heads spinning.
Here are a few photos of the 5th wheeler we've been inquiring about.

My First Casual Job!

Yesterday, I started my first casual job, working as a care giver at a retirement home. I was rostered onto the hospital wing, which involved caring for elderly people with dementia or those who could no longer care for themselves.
It was interesting meeting the elderly people/clients. They have such varied and interesting pasts and are from all walks of life... doctors, lawyers, dental nurses, hospital matrons, teachers, architects, engineers, etc....
It was both humbling and sad to see people as they near the end of their lives. 
Most of their bedrooms have photos of their families, and some of themselves when they were younger. 
Today, as I was spoon feeding an elderly man who was crippled and totally dependent from having had a stroke, I noticed a photo hanging on his bedroom wall, which showed a strong, capable man, out in a boat, enjoying a day fishing. It was sad to see how different he was now.

Initially, when we decided to name this blog, "Our Journey" ..... we did so, thinking it was  a journey in the geographical sense. However, already, in such a short time, it has become so much more than that.

You never know!

Today Bernie went to show his friend Steve our new home. However, it definitely didn't go as planned....the lights blew when they were turned them on. And, after several weeks of malfunctions, It was the last straw for Bernie. After weeks of things going wrong with the motor home which delayed us collecting it, Bernie had had enough. 
Long story short......
We got our cheque back and the motor home was returned to its original owners! Who would ever have guessed that would have happened ( not me) !!!!!
So it's back to finding our ideal home on wheels!

Good to get the cheque back!

We only owned this for 24 hours!

After six weeks of postponements as to when we could pick up our new house truck ( because each weekend when we had arranged to collect it, there was something else that had to be repaired before we could get it!), the day arrived. Finally, on Saturday we handed over the cheque in exchange for our new monster home on wheels!

Changing ownership... The official " handshake"!

Happily driving away!

Our first visitors. 

Our new home on wheels xox