Backpacking in New Zealand in the Time of Covid-19

That Time I Spent Two Months Living and Working on a Vineyard in New Zealand during Covid

Jacinda Arden, the Prime Minster of New Zealand, was speaking; her startlingly calm and confident voice cracked out over the laptop speakers at the Fat Cod Hostel in Picton, New Zealand. “New Zealand will go into Level 4 Lock-down in 48 hours. [At that time, you are to stay put and not leave your homes. The borders will lock-down and all unnecessary travel will be prohibited]”. I’m not a nervous traveler, but I won’t lie, I started to panic. Without listening to more, I ran into to my hostel dorm room, booted up my laptop, and sent off the following email:

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Hi Colin, 

I stopped in your bistro two days ago. My name is Tanner and I am the fellow American from NYC. 

I had a plan to visit my friend in Wellington. My ferry is scheduled for tomorrow, but I’m not sure the ferry will run. The situation appears to be getting exponentially worse each day. 

The other day you offered that I could possibly stay at Fiddler’s Green or nearby if needed. Is that option still available? I would be happy to work and assist with anything you need at the vineyard or bistro. I am a quick learner and extremely hard worker. 

Please let me know. 

Kind regards,

Tanner

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Fast forward 24 hours and I was harvesting riesling and sauvignon blanc grapes. That was the beginning of my two-month odyssey working and staying at the Fiddler’s Green Vineyard in Waipara, New Zealand.

My Vineyard Family 

The vineyard owner and his wife, Colin and Pam, and their daughters, Nerina and Mariel, were extremely kind to take me into their vineyard home less than two days before New Zealand went into full lockdown mode in March of 2020.

I wasn’t the only outsider taking shelter on this small vineyard in New Zealand during Covid. Additionally, there were six French backpackers who stayed and worked on the vineyard, living out of their campervans: Bastien #1, Bastien #2, Silene, Manon, Marion, and Gaëlig.  

Other important vineyard figures were Tony, the newly hired bistro chef, and three other New Zealand born and raised employees who worked full-time at the vineyard, Kevin, John, and Peter.

Keeping Busy at the Vineyard and Staying Positive

I will admit, being isolated and penned up on a vineyard in New Zealand during Covid for two months with the same group of people did, at times, drive us all a little nuts. All of us, local and travelers alike, felt cooped up and confused. And, like everyone else around the world, we knew little about the severity of the virus or what the future held. Additionally, not knowing how long we would remain at the vineyard rattled us. We travelers were all seasoned backpackers, used to calling the shots, picking up our packs, and traveling whenever and wherever we felt the urge.

I knew that I couldn’t continue living the dream and traveling wherever I desired, but I decided to remain optimistic and make the most of my time on the vineyard. During my tenure on the vineyard, I kept myself super busy, trying to absorb and learn as much as possible. After all, it felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Was I going to find myself in this situation, stuck on a New Zealand vineyard with one American family, four New Zealand-born vineyard employees (one of Māori decent), and six French backpackers, ever again?

I was careful to constantly remind myself how fortunate I was to be safe and how lucky I was to be able to roam a 16-hectare paradise freely. From news clips and BBC reports, the steady ebb and flow of the world I had always known appeared to no longer exist. Instead, the world had erupted into Covid chaos. I was aware that many of my friends were locked up in shoebox apartments in the States. Meanwhile, here I was, learning how to grow grapes on an idyllic vineyard in the South Island of New Zealand. I could have let this opportunity pass me by, but I chose to embrace it with zeal and a positive attitude. As a result, I forged lasting friendships and created unforgettable memories. 

List of Activities that Consumed my Days at the Vineyard in New Zealand during Covid

• Work on the vineyard each day from 7:30 am – 4:00 pm 
• Work out / teach an exercise class to the vineyard owner’s daughter from 4:30 – 5:00 pm 
• Create an excel workbook to help the bistro chef, Tony, better manage his inventory and assist with costing out his dishes 
• Cooking lessons from Tony
• Other: assist my fellow French friends with their English resumes; ATV rides down to the river; vineyard golf; yard games with my French friends

Work on the Vineyard 

The majority of my time working on the vineyard was spent on two tasks, replacing rotten posts and fixing irrigation leaks. The vineyard domain spanned only 16 hectares. But, that meant approximately 300 posts needed to be replaced and hundreds of leaks patched. During the mornings, I worked mostly alongside my friend Bastien. I could not have asked for a better work companion. Bastien is intelligent, calm, and hard-working, but to me, his most defining character is good heart. He was always worried about how everyone else was doing, especially his girlfriend, Marion. We spent nearly 100 hours working alongside one another. That’s a lot of time over a span of only two months. And, while we worked, we shared with one another everything from our lives. We shared anecdotes, our favorite foods, movies, and songs.

In addition to my post and irrigation repair work, I kept busy with dozens of other tasks, including: pulling out dead vines; planting new canes; flushing irrigation pipes; adding to and tending to the compost heap; and, pruning vines. 

I took my work seriously and tried to absorb as much as possible. The vineyard manager, Peter, was an unbelievable wealth of information. He was one of the kindest and most passionate teachers I’ve ever had the pleasure of being under the tutelage of. Peter is a devoted follower of Rudolf Steiner, Maria Thun, and biodynamic agriculture. I knew nothing about Steiner or biodynamic growing and, from his encyclopedic memory, he patiently answered my relentless volley of never-ending questions.

Peter and his wife were extremely kind and invited me over to their home to spend a long weekend, where had I had the opportunity to spend time with their lovely kids. It was an unforgettable weekend and I will never forget you all! Please visit me in the States!

Playtime on the Vineyard

It wasn’t all work and no play at the vineyard in New Zealand during Covid. Besides sharing every meal together, the “Frenchies” (I’m sorry for always referring to you guys that way) and I spent a lot of time together. Although I rarely joined in during the evening board games, they were always polite to invite me. I never turned down a game of pétanque, darts, or mölkky (an amusing Swedish lawn game that Gaëlig cleverly crafted together and the Frenchies taught me to play). 

The vineyard owner, Colin, had the incredible idea to build a 9-hole golf course in the vineyard. I enjoyed a few very long, but extremely entertaining rounds of golf, in which I taught Tony, the bistro chef, and my French mates how to play. 

I’ll never forget Silene, golfing in her bare feet, taking her stance next to the ball, puffing on her cigarette, and then letting it rip. You are truly one of a kind Silene.

Many days, after work, I would jump rope and then go on a 25 minute jog around the vineyard. I joked that Silene and Bastien would take the French approach to the end of their work day and sit down for a cold beer. I’m just jealous!

On another occasion, Bastien and Silene were kind enough to give me a manual driving lesson in their campervan. Thanks for be so patient with me!

Live and Learn

My time on the vineyard in New Zealand during Covid was unforgettable. During this short two month interlude in my life, I have no regrets. I gave it everything I had on that vineyard. I was, in my own eyes, the best version of my self. There have been times in my life since my experience on the vineyard, when I have needed motivation, and during these times I often think back on that version of vineyard Tanner. That guy would have never missed an opportunity to learn something new or seek out a new experience or adventure. We only have one shot at this life, so don’t forget to knock on the vineyard door and, once they let you inside, give it all you’ve got.