Our last days with Mike were super eventful. He put us in charge of taking a van to get its warrant of fitness. We had no problem driving there or to the grocery store before hand but once they were done looking at the car they couldn’t put it into gear, we were stuck! It was ridiculous we were at a garage with mechanics and no one could help fix the van. We called Mike but he rarely has his phone so there was no answer. We ended up having to call Patrick over Facebook calling to get help. He spoke with Steph, who was with us to get food for baby Pia. They went back and forth in German, Steph pulling wires and pushing buttons like a pro, but nothing worked. Mike and Patrick finally had to come rescue us, Mike rammed the car into drive and said we should make it home and he would fix it there. Now Mike who has been working with cars for about 30 years is what you would call an expert, he has seen it all. Well he had just never met us before because after he started working on the van he said “That is so weird, I have never seen something like this”. It wasn’t our fault or anything but we were involved with the van and we don’t know if we should be impressed or scared that we drove a van with a problem he had never seen before. Side note: Pia was so adorable as we sat waiting for the check on the van to be done! She’s just learning to walk and was walking up a storm for us! We just wanna squeezeeeeeee her, she’s so adorable!

The 2 German boys we met before drove back to Mike’s to return the van to head back to Germany. At this point Germans outnumbered us, 5 to 2. We realized we are almost always outnumbered by Germans in this country, little did we know we needed to learn German before coming to New Zealand.

Those last few days at Mike’s were crazy because we had to build a van in only 3 days, suffice to say we got very little sleep. Then on top of that we worked a holiday event for the food trucks at a winery. It was beautiful and the Sole Mio were amazing. However it was a crazy event there were a ton of people and only 3 trucks spread out throughout the winery. My truck was so busy I didn’t stop serving people for a full 5 hours. (While on the other hand, my [Maggie’s] food truck got very little action, so I was bored and ate so many fries…-Mags) On top of never ending long line, I was working with 2 people who didn’t speak a word of English and one person who was making kebabs out back. It was so stressful I had to wear every hat in the place! Also people: say thank you to your servers or tell them they are doing a good job it really makes a difference! Luckily there was a churro truck next to my truck and Mags went over towards the end of the event to get some free churros. Usually they are 9 dollars for 3 but this guy just kept loading up the churros and they were all for free!! We made it back home around 3am and passed out!

This week was also Patrick’s birthday, he was turning 30, but he liked to call it 29A, so of course Maggie baked him a fabulous cake! The next day with heavy hearts we left Mike, the hardest working man in NZ, for Pauanui for our next adventure! Patrick, Steph, and Pia said they would come visit us though, and we will hold them to that! We of course couldn’t leave Clevedon without one last ice cream trip. Yall the ice cream here is to die for! (Also, I [Maggie] finally got a working spatula so now I can make pancakes properly. And I got my 100% cotton long sleeve shirt, cause my skin is so temperamental. AND, we got matching flannels. Cause Paggie always has to have matching clothing… we’re jealous creatures).

We have gotten a job at a bakery in this tiny town of Pauanui, and I mean tiny. There are a total of 5 stores, which includes the grocery store and the bakery. Mags and I are literally the only things here! Also 0 WiFi in all of Pauanui. We are staying in a house with one of the bakers Paula. She is a refugee from Venezuela. She left her home, where she was a lawyer and only made cakes for fun for her friends and family, to start all over again. She said once you have had a gun held between your eyes you know it’s time to leave that country. She is awesome and amazing!! We don’t get to see her too often because she has to work nights as a baker. She leaves at 8pm and works until 9 am, bless her heart.

Our final day before we start training we took a mini road trip to Cathedral Cove, but not before the mythical creature that is Maggie’s tummy reared its ugly head. The poor thing really is the best trooper, she didn’t want to cancel plans or slow down! She did have to eat baby food for the day as to not upset the beast, apparently the baby food here isn’t too bad! Cathedral Cove, man does it live up to its name! It was beautiful, even if the water was freezing (it was not freezing—it was like beaches at home mid-July…Perfect. -Maggie). They really make you work for the view though. The only way to get to Cathedral Cove is to walk down the steep hills, we were so happy when we finally saw the beach! It was a lot of hard work but completely worth it! We are going to sleep great tonight! Oh and while we were at the Cove I filmed a marriage proposal, apparently I look competent enough to capture the biggest moment of a strangers life!