Three years ago I came to New Zealand with the Malaysia Working Holiday Visa. I stayed in Blenheim for 3 months and I had a very enjoyable time here. It was one of the best memories in my life! Until today I still miss the days in Blenheim.
Many working holiday backpackers loves Blenheim because of the seasonal job opportunities. There will be a job for you in the vineyard regardless of any season (though the job is tougher during winter). There are also some cherry orchards in Blenheim and you can start picking cherry in December.
My life in Blenheim was extremely simple. Every day I enjoyed laughing with my friends and working in the vineyard. I also do things that I do not do in my home country, such as cooking (I did not cook at all in Malaysia!), hiking, fishing, picking mussels and so on.
Lazy in the vineyard!
The job wasn’t easy as I expected as it requires a lot of physical strength. As a result I had a lot of scars on my body. I finally realised how tough it is to be a physical labour. From now onwards I will be very nice to every labour, because they are just great. Alhough my body was tired in the vineyard, I felt that my heart had a good rest.
There were some funny experiences in the vineyard. I was fired thrice (along with my working holiday friends) by three different vineyard employers! Because we were too slow – almost 3,4 times slower than others. Hahaha. Well, there were no ways for us to compete with the South Pacific Islanders.
My birthday celebration in Blenheim and with my friends:
We are all from different country! But we are all working holiday workers in New Zealand!
Sometimes I enjoyed outing with my friends, such as having a picnic and seeing fireworks. There was once we saw some very funny paintings on the wall:
These pigs look scary!
These ducks sold their eggs!?
One of the most memorable times in Blenheim is hiking on Wither Hills Farm Park. I have to say that: New Zealand is a country of sheep! I love New Zealand so much.
Making a wish
Getting to the top of the Wither Hills Farm Park was a bit tough for the person like me who did not exercise, but once I was on the top I felt extremely satisfied. It was another beautiful view of New Zealand.
My journey in Blenheim ended when I received a call from my ex-company (with a branch in New Zealand). I was asked for an interview for an office job in Wellington. It was a good opportunity, so I accepted. I was actually reluctant to leave Blenheim and my working holiday friends, but I got to move on. It was lucky for me to have a successful interview and received the job offer.
This was something that I wrote in the past:
“Last week I was an easy going backpacker, travelling and playing and laughing and doing physical job in vineyard. This week I am a serious office girl, sitting in the office using computer and attending meeting and dealing with numbers.”
I will come back to Blenheim again. Definitely.
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