My First WWOOF Hosts in New Zealand

Caril and Brian live 40 minutes outside inner city Auckland. You could refer to their neighborhood as a diverse suburb -- to the right is a housefull of college kids and to the left is an elderly neighbor who keeps a wild garden and beehives in the backyard.

The couple are in their late 50s-early 60s and have been together for 20 years as commited partners. Both had previous marriages and now have three grown children.

They have two cats, a collection of contemporary art and four shelves of books that inlcude Zen Buddhism, Jodi Picult and the "Feminist's Companion." Their pale green house is tucked in behind a stone wall and the back garden forgets is has boundaries. The house has high ceilings, all wood floors and one wall in the living room is painted yellow. They have a particular interest in Asian cuisine and a fridge full of condiments and tofu.

We share long dinner conversations about religion -- Caril became a wicken (spelling?) after being burned by her years in the Salvation Army and Brian explored Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity among others, but neither is affiliated with a church or religion today.

I'm inspired by their friendship and genuine love and respect for oneanother. They haven't tired of oneanother's presence, and I often hear them laughing together through our adjoining bedroom walls. This Sunday morning the couple spent hours having breakfast at a local cafe and discussed magazine articles that fascinated them.

They each had a long and arduous journey before discovering oneanother and they attempt to never take for grantid this relationship that they almost never found.