We soon settled in to Motueka, an area rich in orchards and vineyards - us ladies found a job in an apple packing factory, whilst our male companion went out picking them. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but it put food in our bellies! I also had my first experience of hitchiking, which was a great thrill. I get totally turned on by a bargain and getting a ride for free was like David Beckham combined with Robert Downey Jr (naked!). Shortly after arriving, the hostel owner moved the three of us to a private room to free up the dorm beds for short stays. This was this biggest stroke of luck I could've asked for, as within weeks of arriving my symptoms took a turn for the worse.
Just five weeks in to the job I was starting to vomit almost daily and I was in constant pain. After a few weeks I took myself to hospital once again, this time in Nelson. Despite being a public hospital, when I arrived I was turned away because I had not bought my insurance documents. I mentioned the reciprocal health agreement and the triage nurse told me that it no longer applied and mumbled something about "health tourism". I guess she had never heard of the NHS, or perhaps she thought I wanted to spend hundreds of pounds travelling to the other side of the world to get healthcare that was free at home. Either way, it was over an hours drive to the hospital and, upon returning to the hostel, I decided not to go back immediately.
Of course, it was only a week or so later that the inevitable happened and I found myself back at the triage desk with my insurance documents in hand. Despite the fact that I had been vomiting in steadily increasing quantities during the previous month, I was hooked up to a drip for a couple of hours before being sent home with a prescription for Giardia, an intestinal parasite. My UK address was later billed a delightful £300 for this privilege.
One of the old school friends I had said goodbye to in Paihia was now settled in Queenstown, so, with the end of the apple-picking season fast approaching, I decided to make my way down there with one of my Wellington companions. With my health worries still festering away in the back of my mind, I was keen to be around a close friend in comfy surroundings, so that I could stop and reflect a little. With that in mind I tried to squeeze in as much as possible on the journey down.
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