Working Travel: Realizing a Dream in a Year

Chapter 6 Under the most beautiful rainbow, do the most purgatory work

rainbow is the only guest

Pruning, known as the cruelest outdoor worker, Iowa and Victor went to Blenheim (Blenheim) in Marlborough, South Island, one step ahead of me. Marlborough is the largest grape growing and winemaking in New Zealand There are more than 70 large and small wineries in the region.After a while, Ah Hua called me: "It's too hard! Every morning at 6 o'clock, I have to go out before dawn. The road is full of ice! Pruning branches is much more tiring than picking kiwis. My hands are almost useless." I can't feel numb every morning! Brother, don't come here, stay in Beidao!"

I didn't expect that I would still die in the end. It was a Monday morning, June 6.Mike, the local foreman, came to town in a red pickup truck to see us off.We drove inland along National Highway No. 28 to Yingzui Bay, and towns appeared less and less frequently. Four hours later, we came to Mangaorapa, a place surrounded by green hills.The vineyard is deep in the mountains, and my hands are a little weak when I look at the more than [-] vines that look like soldiers.

Randall, the manager of the vineyard, came out to greet our group. He was a man with a big beard and a big body. He was dressed in dirty overalls and had a smile that could melt ice and snow.

"There's no internet in this place, no cell phone reception," he said.

"Then how do you contact the outside world?"

"Use that landline," he pointed to the workshop behind him, which has a spacious space and various workbenches dotted among them, "you live in the orchard, and it doesn't cost you any money. The nearest town is an hour's drive away, and you should have passed by when you came here. I will only go there to buy food in the future.”

It took us a few minutes to get familiar with the living environment. The bedroom is located next to the workshop, about 10 square meters, with three bunk beds, which can sleep 6 people.From the bedroom, past the workshop, there is another door leading to the kitchen and bathroom.The kitchen has large picture windows with sweeping views of the vineyards.The bathroom was clean and modern, even hand soap was stocked.This is truly a paradise.

"From now on, even if you run naked, no one will watch." Mike left after leaving this sentence.

We all thought that the dark days were about to begin. Unexpectedly, Mangalapa Vineyard later became the recognized pruning paradise in our memory, which made us reluctant to leave for a long time.

Randall showed us the pruning technique, which is divided into four steps: cutting, pulling, trimming, and tying.The purpose of pruning is mainly to ensure the quality of the grapes and control the growth rate of the plants.

"It's very simple, please everyone. It can be solved in a month." I don't know if Uncle Randall is encouraging us or himself... Could it be that the four of us seem to have a talent for pruning?
We deeply feel the great responsibility, but also feel that the road ahead is long.Every time I start a new job, I have this kind of uneasiness, let alone a field that I have never touched before?
My partner is Blue Daxia.She is from Beijing. She is a high-level white-collar worker outside and a decadent chick at home. I can't figure it out. Such a person is clearly not on the same path as me, but he can reach the same goal in New Zealand by different routes.

So while we were working, I asked her: "Hey, Lan Daxia, why are you here for a working holiday?"

"For a friend."

"Oh?" Regarding the motivation, I have heard many versions, and this is the first time someone has tossed about it for this reason.

“My friend, who was over 30 when he found out about working holidays, came to me and described his unrealized dream life with a look in his eyes that lit up the universe. So I said, ‘Why don’t I apply for a tryout? Let’s try it out’, just got the visa by accident.”

"That's fine too..."

"I haven't quit my job yet, so I'll go back after three months."

"Three months? How short!"

"No way, the leader will give such a little leave."

"Why don't you just resign?"

"I can't let go of all kinds of things, you know."

I have to admit that I understand, but at the time I was skeptical that after three months, she would change her mind and stay in New Zealand, just like Sun Dongchun (the author of "Late Gap Year") failed Director Li .Once the bird flies out of the cage, is it willing to fly back?

We chatted one after another, the branches of the vine were broken in the sound of scissors, and there were birds in the sky in the distance, and cattle and sheep on the ground nearby. Between the sky and the earth, there were only us working and talking. sound.

"I used to be in Beijing and had to buy a lot of clothes and cosmetics online every month. This is good and I saved a lot of money."

"Do you dare to say that you will not have a relapse when you return to Beijing?"

"I don't know, but I like the life I have now."

be a farmer at ease

On the first day, we tried our best to prune four rows of grape branches, and barely passed the grade. The duo of Xiao Hong and Cynthia came later than us, and their grades were relatively poor.We go back to the kitchen and exchange work experiences.

"I didn't expect it to look so simple, but it was so difficult to do."

"Yeah, pulling Zhi pulled me almost to death." Xiao Hong complained.

"Isn't it the same with the tied branches? It was broken accidentally, and sometimes the four remaining branches are not enough." Cynthia said.

"Pruning is the perfect combination of skill and power!" I concluded.

The kitchen in the orchard uses liquefied petroleum gas, and its firepower is impressive. It must have been born for Chinese food with heavy fire and heavy oil!We worked together to make our first dinner in the vineyard, chicken wings with carrots, potatoes and red wine.There's nothing like rewarding yourself with a big meal after a hard day's work.

The drizzle outside the floor-to-ceiling windows has not stopped since dusk, splashing cold bleakness in my heart.After dark, our hut became the only light in the vast wilderness, warmly cremating the loneliness of every traveler.

There are always times when we think about the end of the journey.Can we find a home?Is that the ending we want?Then continue on the road numbly, and look forward to the day when I see the scenery outside the mountain.For many people, what is behind the mountain is not important, what is important is that they once stood on the top of the mountain.

The weather forecast said rain the next day, we slept until 9 and no one wanted to get up.It wasn't until Uncle Randall arrived that we hurriedly cleaned up. When we looked at the weather, it was actually sunny.

My fingers were sore and swollen with blood, and I asked other people, how many had the same symptoms.I thought it was because we hadn't adapted to work yet, so we went to work with the scissors on our shoulders.

The dew in autumn and winter in New Zealand is very strong. The shoes placed outside the house were a bit wet. When they arrived at the vineyard, they were soon soaked in more dew.The hazy mountain mist wrapped around the mountainsides far and near, I suspected several times that I had fallen asleep, and there was a dream in front of me.

We are all more proficient than the day before, and working in two teams has its advantages and disadvantages.The advantage is that the pressure caused by mutual competition keeps us from slacking off.The downside is that such a beautiful day was wasted because I didn't dare to slack off.We are dissonant notes in a leisurely landscape.

I didn't feel happy like this, so I said to Lan Daxia: "Let's have some fun."

"How to find it?"

"Talk about your own embarrassment. Make the other person happy."

"You talk first."

"Woke up to bird droppings on the Gold Coast..."

"That counts? It's too simple!"

"Then you tell me something funny?"

We work in the vineyard without anyone bothering us, and we can laugh and cry as we please.We walked a hundred steps from the vineyard to our cottage.At noon, we had a lot of time to rest, enough to tell a long story with its beginnings and transitions.Compared with the previous lunch in the kiwi fruit orchard, this combination of work and rest is a great enjoyment.Sometimes in order to catch up with the progress, we cook thin spaghetti with simple craftsmanship, which is cooked in 2 minutes, and then topped with tomato salad, a simple lunch is done like this.This pasta has a touching name: Angel Hair.

If you work hard in the morning, spend more time resting at noon, cooking, washing, chopping and frying vegetables, take your time, don't worry.There are only 4 of us in the entire orchard, and this is our secluded vineyard.Listening to the song of pines and birds, time seems to be still, which makes me have an illusion that I don't know Han, regardless of Wei and Jin.

During the lunch break that day, we found an extra RV in the workshop. Uncle Randall said it was a bedroom for girls.It turned out that the day before, the two girls casually mentioned that they wanted to divide the room into male and female parts, and he overheard them.What a careful uncle!We have grown closer to him.Uncle Randall's beautiful wife, Paula, also comes to work 3 days a week and helps with cleaning.During the conversation, we learned that the two of them have been married for more than 30 years, and they started to take care of the farm 15 years ago, and they accompany each other day and night.They all like this quiet life.When we first met, the couple sat in the workshop, facing the vineyards and green grass, waiting for us while drinking tea and chatting, with love flowing in their eyes.

The work in the afternoon started at 2 o'clock and lasted until 5 o'clock in the evening. Half of the sun was sunk behind the mountain on time. By 5:[-], the sky was so dark that the withered petioles could not be seen clearly, but the outlines of the branches could still be discerned.When I got excited, I squatted down and continued to cut for a while with the bright background formed by the sky.The withered vines formed a sharp silhouette under the dark sky, just like the work left by my scissors across the sky.At this time, I thought self-righteously, my pair of scissors, they are so powerful!

Back in the kitchen, we took off our gloves and shoes and dried them next to the stove. After a while, white water vapor came out of the gloves, and a strange smell filled the room.Regardless of it, the four of us performed our duties and started preparing dinner.

Thanks to my training in Opotiki and Hastings, I've become adept at cooking in the microwave, and my stir-fries are barely up to Joy's standards.Being able to feel my progress is the happiest thing for me, even surpassing the joy of being praised by others.I have always thought that self-recognition is much more important than external recognition. Self-recognition is based on clear self-cognition, while external recognition is often recognition that meets its standards.I always regard yesterday's self as an enemy, knowing that I am getting better, I don't care about others—anyway, there will always be strong people in this world that I cannot surpass.

In the Mangarapa Vineyard, I had the most delicious beef and mutton since I came to New Zealand.While eating, we chatted happily. The topics covered the era of fluttering white clothes and the carefree future.

Dinner is usually over at 8 o'clock.I started to read books, sometimes I read professional books on viticulture, and when I encountered something I didn’t understand, I wrote it down, and asked Uncle Randall for advice the next day; sometimes I read novels in e-books—this is the most relaxing moment of my day . After 10 o'clock, everyone went back to the house one after another. I walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and silently made a wish about the weather to the sunny doll under the eaves.

It's a rainy winter, even in Eagle's Mouth Bay, the sunniest place in New Zealand. Sometimes the rain starts from the morning and keeps falling. At this time, we gather at the kitchen table with four computers , do what you love to do.Some people watch movies, some listen to music, some people write, and rainy days are no longer disgusting.In the morning when we wake up with numb hands, we hope that the rain will last a little longer.

In our afternoon of high work enthusiasm, a shower of rain really put a damper on the fun.I admire Lan Daxia, for her, this sudden enemy can only arouse her fighting spirit even more.The wet bangs were sticking to her forehead, and the sunglasses were also covered with water drops, but she didn't stop frantically scissors in her hand for a moment.We even feel that working in the rain is a free and easy fun.Apart from clouds and rain, the sky is full of rainbows.We can usually see rainbows several times a day, and the frequency makes us think that this is the true color of the sky.Sometimes the rainbow is just a few hundred meters away, and the big arc is within reach. We believe that when we walk to the foot of the rainbow, we can get a glimpse of the sky.Rainbow is the dream lover of every urbanite. We used prisms and dewdrops to miss her. Napier, she came out of the dream for the first time, and her beauty made me shudder.I think our hard coat will still be crushed by the pure beauty of nature, because our gray pupils never give up the pursuit of beauty.This is the instinct of human beings. I often think that if we can make some decisions more in accordance with our hearts, the world will be a better place, and our lives will be better because of it.We seem to be used to suppressing ourselves. We are always listening to other people's gossip, but we seldom listen to our own inner voice.

Either because of the turbulent mainstream, or because there is no time to spare.We first lost our faith, and then even the right to have faith was kidnapped by material things.As for ideals, idealism has been labeled unrealistic.And literature and art, literature and art youth are outstanding representatives who have gone black on the road of idealism.

Unfortunately, matter does matter.Most people who have the courage to fight against matter do not have this ability.And those who are capable often don't need courage.

I don't have the skills either, but I know that a working holiday will at least give me some courage.Do something while you still have the courage, no matter what it is, you may die suddenly one day, and give yourself an explanation.

Life in the vineyard reminds me of the not-too-distant 90s, a time when there was no internet or even telephones.Parents don’t have to complain about the tens of thousands of buildings in Ande Guangsha, and I don’t have to complain about the inconvenient communication with friends. My partners look forward to power outages every now and then, and I’m happiest doing nothing.Nowadays, there are more and more means of obtaining happiness, but less and less happiness, because we are complicating happiness.

I can feel their heartfelt happiness from every smile of Lan Daxia, Cynthia, and Xiaohong.Life in the vineyard is simple and beautiful.

Our speed gradually increased, and fewer and fewer branches were broken due to improper force, but the numbness of the hands still did not improve, but became worse day by day.This kind of numbness and pain usually lasts for an hour, until the sun is fully up and the body is slightly sweating before it is declared over.My symptoms were more serious than others, and I was worried about the aftereffects, so I asked the Randalls: "Do your hands go numb every morning?"

"Of course, but when you are sleeping, try to put your hands on the edge of the bed and let them hang down naturally. Maybe it will be better."

All my worries were dispelled at once, and I continued to wield the scissors.

Of the four steps of pruning, I hate pulling this step the most.The criss-crossing branches are stuck between the four load-bearing iron wires, and the only consequence of using brute force is to be madly pumped.After being repeatedly hit in the face by grape branches, I decided to treat them gently. Maybe because I was too gentle, the speed dropped significantly, which seriously affected the efficiency of work.Lan Daxia is worthy of being a heroine among women. He has his own unique views on pulling branches. We decided to divide the work and cooperate. I was in charge of cutting, and she was in charge of pulling. The final trimming and tying were done together.

A week later, the first area was basically completed. Looking around, the vineyard after construction was clean and tidy, and a slight sense of accomplishment emerged spontaneously.On a rainy afternoon, we decided to give ourselves a vacation - in this place where the emperor is far away, we have no restrictions on working hours at all.

We first went to the place with the longest place name in the world. It turned out that this was purely to satisfy the curiosity and was boring.There was only a wooden sign in that place with a long list of letters written on it.We got off the car, took pictures, got on the car, and left. The whole process took no more than 5 minutes.

Then we went to a beach, because I firmly believe that any beach in New Zealand is likely to pick up oysters. Everyone hasn't tasted seafood for a while, and no one refused to the temptation of adding vegetables to dinner.As a result, I didn't expect to catch up with the high tide. Let alone oysters, I didn't even see oyster shells.

With a sense of loss, we went to the town of Waipukurau to buy food. The rain gradually became heavier, and the ground under the street lamps was filled with golden mist.The New World Supermarket is still open and always welcomes us hungry kids.We rushed into the rain in a panic, and hurriedly stuffed the big and small bags into the trunk.At this time, it was completely dark. Cynthia turned on the headlights and drove her little green car carefully. The rain hit the roof of the car and made a loud noise. The wipers swung violently back and forth, and the front windshield was still blurred.

Not knowing who started it, we started telling stories about our past affairs.The sound of the wind and rain around seemed to be weakening. It was Lan Daxia's turn. She recalled those pasts that couldn't go back in a graceful manner. We were fascinated, especially the driver Cynthia. At the first fork in the mountain, she turned It was too violent, the car slid to the side of the road, and she immediately stepped on the brakes—as readers expected, of course she stepped on the accelerator, and the car immediately rushed into the grass on the side of the road.When she tried to back the car, the tires spun and it was clear we were going to be stuck in the dark and rainy night.

We pulled out our phones and there was no signal.There are still several kilometers away from the orchard, and even farther away from the town of Waipukulao.

Xiaohong and I got out of the car to check the situation, and found that the left front wheel was stuck in a puddle of muddy water. We tried to reverse the car while lifting the rear of the car, repeated several times, and finally decided to give up.

Strange to say, once you decide to give up, you feel relieved.

"It's a big deal to spend the night in the car today, how about we have a long talk all night?"

The crowd cheered.

"That's right, that's right, didn't you just buy cake and potato chips? Eat it now!"

The crowd cheered again.

In this way, we happily ate in the rain.For the four of us at the time, anxiety was non-existent.We enjoy this unexpected bad luck and have no fear that times will turn around.

Time moved forward expressionlessly, I finished eating a piece of cake, my mouth was full of sweetness, and there were still people in the car chewing potato chips.

About 20 minutes later, there was a faint light in the sky when it came, and after a long time, the light beam gradually began to appear within the range of vision.It was too late, but it was so fast, the four doors opened at the same time, we waved our hands and occupied the middle of the road.The car was getting closer and closer, and finally stopped on the side of the road. An old man with white hair got out of the car and took a look, and he probably understood it.

"Don't worry, I'll look for a rope and see if I can tow your car out."

It's a pity that neither he nor our car found the rope, so the old man said apologetically, "There is a traffic service station not far ahead. If there is no one, I can still call the police. Just wait, 5 minutes, just 5 minutes!"

In the next 5 minutes, there were more and more cars passing by. All we could do was stand by the car and thank the people who stopped and asked.In the end, we simply turned off the lights, because how embarrassing it is to keep rejecting other people's kindness... During this period, a speeding car even whizzed past us, and after a few minutes, it turned around and turned back. The driver got out of the car and asked carefully And confirm that we don't need any help before turning back and leaving.

A few minutes later, police lights flashing red and blue appeared.The policeman didn't say a word, stopped, took the rope, put on the harness, and pulled the car. We thanked him and hugged him. What a sincere gesture a hug is. Why should we be ashamed to express our sincerity?

This night is undoubtedly extraordinary for us, but for every New Zealander who passed by and reached out to help, I am afraid this is just an ordinary night.

Eternity in the Vineyard
After the 5 cents per tree area ended, we moved to a new battlefield with 9 cents per plant.Although the price has nearly doubled, the difficulty has more than doubled.The number of branches soared, and I even used my feet when pulling the branches.The number of good branches that need to be tied has also increased from two to four.In this way, tying branches also requires the cooperation of two people.I was face to face with Lan Daxia, one was tied to the high position and the other was tied to the low position.So we started the endless story Solitaire: a female policeman was kidnapped by a gangster, the so-called long-term love, the gangster fell in love with the policewoman.In order to cut off the evil relationship, the female policeman took sex-changing drugs and became a man.In order to continue the true relationship, the gangster took sex-changing drugs and became a woman.The female policeman took sex-changing drugs again in order to cut off the evil relationship... After we laughed so hard that our stomachs hurt and we bent over, we found out that we had been thrown away by another team, and we immediately buried our heads and fucked hard.

Then I calmed down, there was only the sound of the wind in the silent wilderness, and I missed my distant friends in an isolated place. This is a way to confirm my own existence.Friends are still in the world of mortals, and one day, I will be able to return to the familiar past that I want to return to.I put my old friends in rows like skewers, from kindergarten to elementary school to junior high school to high school to university to the workplace.Memories are heated up in high-speed rewinding, exuding all kinds of fragrances. I try my best to capture the name of friendship, friends in need, friends who nod, friends of gentlemen, friends of wine and meat... some of them are probably fabricated by me.

The process of gut-scrambling is like organizing a bookshelf. Some books you stop reading because you can't find them or your appetite has changed.There are so many books on the shelf, so many friendships in the memory, they all collect dust.Accumulate dust and then lose sight.Emotional maintenance is more difficult than imagined.I am reminded of a long lost best friend who used to be my best friend.Once I was on a business trip to Shenzhen, and I made a special trip to visit him in Guangzhou. Unfortunately, he happened to be on a business trip at the time, so it was just a matter of fate.I tried to picture the reunion, and I thought the opening line would go like this: We used to be best friends, but we're not anymore.Once upon a time, this was often a slightly sad footnote.

There is no difference in the probability of people meeting each other. Those who meet again and again often become or be called friends. Friends who drink alcohol, friends, and nods are also friends. Even those who bare their buttocks together when they are not sensible are also friends.Human energy is limited, when you keep meeting each other, you become stingy with time to meet again.The first rule of human greed is to be greedy for the new and forget the old.But the paradox is that we are also changing ourselves, at least when we grow up, we need to change into new clothes and shoes, when we are in a bad mood, we need to change our hairstyle, and when we are in a good mood, we need to try new restaurants.How amazing it is to be able to maintain an evergreen friendship.

Just like working in the kiwi orchard, we always find new joys in our work after a long time.Apart from people and vines, the most common animals in the orchard are big fat hares.Because of the high requirements for air circulation, the soil at the roots of grapes is usually relatively loose, which becomes the best place for rabbits to dig holes.At first we screamed for the appearance of one or two hares, but after seeing a lot, we began to think about how to catch one or two alive for fun.

We have designed various plans, the first is food lure.Put the carrot cubes in the rabbit-infested area. Poor Mr. Carrot lay in the same place for almost a week without any rabbits. We had to abandon this plan.

We thought of the shoelace trap mentioned in "Wilderness Survival" again, so a group of people watched Bear Grylls (Bear Grylls) for a long time, but they didn't understand how the shoelaces were tied. We The plan had to be dropped again.

In desperation, we decided to take the most primitive approach and wait for the rabbit!I found a big iron cage, and the cat was at the entrance of the rabbit hole. When the rabbit came out of the hole, it covered its head and face.As you might expect, the plan quickly aborted, because no rabbit is stupid enough to throw itself into a trap.

We are left with one last resort.On a dark and windy night, we estimated that all the rabbits had fallen asleep, so we took a flashlight and a long stick, followed the path, and went quietly to the rabbit's lair.Tried to poke them out, and this is the closest we've come - long sticks from a rabbit hole covered in rabbit fur.

Desperate, we went to Uncle Randall for help.

"Is there any way you can catch these naughty fellows?"

Uncle Randall made a gesture of holding a gun and pulling the trigger with both hands. "We invite hunters to hunt rabbits every year."

"What about when there are no hunters?"

He pointed to the sky and said, "Eagle."

We finally failed to catch a rabbit, and these cute little animals still run around us in their own way. I like that when they are frightened, they suddenly stand up and raise their two little hands, with an innocent look on their faces .

In addition to rabbits, elf-like deer can often be seen outside the boundaries of the orchard. I could only see their jumping and nimble gestures on TV before.

Delinquent hard-earned money
After working for two weeks, when it was time to pay their salaries, the four members of the pruning team happily went to the city, intending to eat a good meal with their wages.Unexpectedly, the figures in the account made us feel cold from head to toe-the salary did not arrive in the account as expected.

I immediately called Mike the foreman.

"Mike, why haven't we received our salary yet?"

"Oh? Oh? No way? I'll ask the accountant. Don't worry. Leave it to me."

Somewhat reassured by his certainty, we bought some supplies with our savings and headed back to the orchard.Another week passed, and the salary still hadn't been settled.We couldn't sit still, everyone's deposits hit a record low, and a gloomy atmosphere permeated the dining table.This has directly affected our work enthusiasm, and no one knows whether this month will be in vain.Lan Daxia still expects to travel all over the South Island with the money he earns from his part-time job. If this continues, he will probably go straight home, right?

I have heard many rumors about wage arrears in Te Puke (Te Puke) on the Internet, and some foremen even simply took the wages of the workers and ran away.But I never thought that such a tragedy would happen to me. I couldn't accept it for a while, and I didn't know what else to do except make a phone call.After working for 5 years, I have long been accustomed to receiving my salary on time.It is only now that I realize that there are still many dark corners and silent cries in the world.If I hadn't been a farmer in New Zealand, I'm afraid I would never have had such a personal experience in my life.

"Napier has a labor bureau, we can sue them." Xiao Hong said indignantly.

"I'll wait another week. If the salary still doesn't come in, I'll go back to Hastings and go directly to their company." I said.

We still prune branches during the day, laughing and talking easily; at night, we make phone calls and question angrily.Finally one day, the company finance said that the money has been paid.I thought it was finally over.

On August 8th, I returned to Hastings and couldn't wait to go to the bank to check my salary. To my surprise, not only was there an area that hadn't been paid, but part of the salary that had already been paid was also deducted.Pruning a fruit tree costs 5 cents, but it is changed to 9 cents and 8 cents.The 5 hairs are changed to 6 hairs.

I am completely angry.

I called the company finance and said that if this matter is not resolved, I will live in Hastings and have no end with you.Finance called Vikas, Indian.I only found out later that Mike was working for an Indian company.Working in New Zealand, local foremen and companies are usually more trustworthy, and Indian and Malaysian foremen have more problems.If I had known this earlier, perhaps the rest of the story would have been different.

After hanging up the phone, I wrote two letters instead.One was sent to Uncle Randall, asking him to send me his previous work record and salary standard in the orchard.One was sent to Rudy and Julie asking for a solution to a similar problem.Uncle Randall wrote me back shortly.

No, the following is the specific quantity and unit price. I have negotiated with the intermediary company. I hope you can solve this problem as soon as possible.It's a cruel world, and most of it is unsatisfactory.The orchard work will be over, and then Paula and I will go on vacation.I wish you all the best for the rest of your journey in New Zealand.

I was deeply moved when I heard the talk about the "cruel world" from a man who seemed bold and cheerful.What Uncle Randall said must be correct. He must have come to this conclusion after many encounters with this world.I don't understand, the world is so cruel, we are so small, how can we survive?

Julie was also quick to write back.

This is downright disappointing, non.After reading your email, I found this website, you can check out this link above, I'm not sure if this is the same situation as yours.

Rudy will consult with the trade union representative tomorrow. If there is any further news, I will write to you again.

In the meantime, you have two options to try:

Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB, Citizen's Advice Bureau), they are a national voluntary organization, help solve many aspects of the problem. You can come or call, they may be able to help you. Napier The contact information of the office is as follows:
Napier CAB phone 06 835 9664
PO Box 1078 fax 06 835 1146
Community Rooms email [email protected]
Memorial Square
Another option is the Labor Office, a government agency that deals with work-related issues.Their website is http://www.dol.govt.nz/, or call 800 toll-free.

Good luck, friend.keep in touch.If you really can't get along, come back to Fakatani, where a warm bedroom will always be reserved for you.take care of yourself.

I feel the heat from my eye sockets, and I can answer the question about the cruel world a few minutes ago.

successful negotiation
I went back to my previous language school, paid rent for a week, and prepared for a long-term war of resistance.Vikas may have realized something. On the phone, his attitude was quite friendly.He said that there must be a mistake somewhere, please provide him with the correct figure, and the company will make up the difference and the remaining part of the salary.

I said, "Let's meet. Give me your last payslip, and I'll tell you the correct number." I hadn't decided whether to stay for 15 months, so I kept all my payslips.

Vikas also works in the orchard during the day, so we can only meet at night.At 8 o'clock one night, the night was low and there were few pedestrians on the street. I went downstairs, turned a corner, and walked in the direction of the Earthquake Memorial Clock Tower.Standing at the intersection, I looked left and right, but I didn't find his car.The next moment, I heard someone calling my name, a car was parked under the streetlight on the right front, and a figure stood by the door on the driver's side.I walked up quickly.

Vikas gave me a good first impression, he has a gentle smile and voice.

Tips
The working holiday visa is valid for 12 months, but if you have 3 months of wages from working in a farm or packaging factory, you can apply for a 3-month extension.So working holidaymakers please keep every pay stub in a safe place.

The latest materials required for visa extension application in 2012:

Pay slip or IRD tax record or employer's letter, choose one
Check for NZD 140
Air ticket or bank deposit certificate (to prove that you have enough funds to buy a return ticket, more than 2000 New Zealand dollars is appropriate)

Generally, you can apply two weeks before the visa expires.

"Let's get in the car and talk." When he said this, he was grinning.I thought to myself, the lines are so familiar, could it be fraudulent?

I got into the passenger seat, and before I sat still, a cold light flashed in front of my eyes, followed by a cold metal feeling on my neck.Vikas was still smiling and ordered me to be obedient.Then the vehicle started, and the lights of the city were quickly left far behind. On an unknown mountain road, Vikas ordered me to get off the car. The narrow mountain road was followed by a cliff.He handed me the salary slip and said with a sneer, take your salary slip and complain to God!Then he pushed me down.

Of course none of the above happened, I got in the car, and Vikas took out the pay slips from his briefcase and asked me to check them.I quickly scanned it and told him that the unit price and quantity were wrong.

"I will send you the data provided by the orchard manager, please arrange immediately."

"Okay, no problem. We'll get it done this Thursday," Vikas agreed.

"How long have you been in New Zealand?" After finishing business, I chatted with him.

"It's been more than ten years, and life is not easy. There are old and young at home to take care of."

I don't think he's a bad guy, at least he doesn't look like it.I decided to trust him.

"I'll leave the salary to you." After I finished speaking, I got out of the car, feeling a lot more at ease.

Lan Daxia still embarked on a trip around the South Island as planned. I told her the news and asked her to have fun and rest assured that I will be behind.

Now that the salary issue has been resolved, it's time for me to consider my next stop.After more than a month of continuous physical labor, I wanted to take a vacation for myself, so I started looking for opportunities to change accommodation.In the discussion area of ​​the BBH website, there are often news about changing accommodation.It didn't take long for me to discover an interesting exchange opportunity, with Napier Prison recruiting for positions such as tour guide and sound engineer.

I immediately called the contact number on the website.

"Is this Napier Prison?"

"That's right, I'm Mahuaka."

"Hi, my name is Wu Fei and I'm from China. Is the prison still recruiting tour guides?"

"This...the tour guide is already there..."

"Then are there any other opportunities to change rooms?"

"what can you do?"

"I used to be a salesman for 5 years."

"Oh, that's good, come here."

I didn't react right away.

"come over?"

"Yes, you may be able to give our company a training, we have a problem with sales now..."

"but……"

"There are two websites, take a look first, and call me if you decide to come over."

After a while, she sent me a short message, and I logged on to the website according to the URL, and learned the true face of Napier Prison.This is actually a travel company that sells audio guide systems, and Napier Prison is one of their attractions and their office.Well, help or not, in order to satisfy my curiosity, I decided to go to prison to change rooms.

Tips
Illegal companies mainly play the following tricks on wages:
1. Deductions: hours, unit price per tree, total pruning quantity;
2. Income tax: pay wages by cash transfer, and then provide a false pay slip, indicating that the tax has been deducted, but in fact this part of the money has entered the company's pocket;
3.Holiday Pay: Backpackers working in New Zealand with a working holiday visa meet the 2003% holiday subsidy requirement mentioned in the Holiday Act 8 formulated by the New Zealand Labor Bureau, and some companies will tell you that this part is already included in the salary. There is no vacation subsidy item on the salary slip at hand, but after checking the bill, I learned that this item is indispensable;

4. Delay: Delay in salary payment for various reasons.

Ways to avoid risks:
1. Sign the contract;

2. Check the accounts frequently (because we have no network and mobile phone signals, we did not find out the wages owed until very late);

3. Investigate the company background and reputation before signing the contract (through the Internet, or other backpackers, etc.);
4. Be aware of rights protection. Most companies that delay wages will pay wages under your repeated urging.

(End of this chapter)