Please Donate

From now on I will assume you all have the capability of Google Searching a Map of New Zealand and figuring out where these stories take place based on names I'm dropping.

As Adam, Simba, and I made our way north we stopped in Turangi to find our Air BnB.

Turangi can only be called a town by the broadest stretch of one's imagination. We soon discovered this fact when looking for food and realising everything was closed except one over-priced restaurant and the New World (Grocery store). Deeply bound by the clutches of hunger we went to New World and purchased ingredients for what ended up being mustard and ham tortillas with some kind of potato salad.* After our meal and walking around the three buildings which make up the town we headed toward our refuge for the night. 

We ventured in to swarm of bees and a tiny little farm-like area until eventually locating some WWOOFers who led us to our host. 

Lisa Runs Awhi Farm which is completely grass fed- for lack of a simpler description. We had no electricity, but in sunnier times the farm is completely solar powered, all food is organic, and cooked in what is known as a "Rocket Stove" or an "Earth Oven." Vegetables and fruits can be found in every corner of the farm, all grown with their own compost.
Compost, for those who have never encountered the concept, is decomposing organic material commonly used in farming. Composting is quite common in New Zealand. 
Lisa continued showing us around, she showed us our cabin (pictured above), fully equipped with one bunk bed and a wooden chair.

She showed us the sink

We toured the common areas

And she took us to a tarp in the back corner, which she referred to as the toilet. 

I'm sorry, the Compost* Toilet. She explained to us that when one feels the need to contribute, you simply lift the lid, make your donation, cover it with mulch and enzymes and VOILA, you've given life back to the earth. We listened, asked questions, and quickly determined that any donations would be made to the Burger King down the road.

Call it pretentious, but after seeing the farm around us we could only speculate on where these donations are being put to use. In the end we both claimed to have a fantastic night of sleep, with no light pollution we got our first glimpse of southern hemisphere stars, we contributed to actual sustainable practices (by paying for our Air BnB, not the toilet thing), and met a very interesting human. I also forgot my pillow, which was less fun.

So there's that. Here is a mural of two giant birds

*This would not be the most homeless meal we would eat during our travels.