The Belcik Family—Arrival

I met my second host in Opotiki and we drove 20 minutes east along the coast to their farm just outside the small town of Torere. Mike is American and Claire is a Kiwi, they have three boys Ben (12), Danny (18) and John (20). The family moved to what was a treeless paddock boarded by native bush in the early 1990s and has been developing for self-sufficiency since. Now upon entering the property a tree lined drive leads to their house and batch (guest house) which are separated by a large lawn. Both dwellings are single story with large wrap-around coved poachers, bearing a look that is classically American. The style imported by their builder Mike, pays homage his East Coast roots. The plot sits on a rise above town and from the house or gardens there are great views of the beach, bay and on down the coastline. After unpacking my stuff and a cup of tea, Claire was eager to lead me on a tour.

Batch

The family grows most of their own food as well as goods for market. Their cultivation approach is organic bio-intensive, though they barrow from other schools of thought and are constantly experimenting. In long raised beds a healthy crop of garlic was well underway next to some just sprouted corn. Adjacent were a few empty beds Claire explained we would fill with chilies and eggplants. A veg patch is home to numerous varieties of tomatoes, beans, peas, squash, melons, berries, lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula, cabbage, onions, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, radishes, carrots, potatoes, yams, endive and fennel as well as an assortment of herbs (and I’m surely missing some others but you get the picture). A citrus orchard lies on the upside of the garden and a variety of stone fruit trees make another edge. Throughout the property there are avocado, banana, papaya, persimmon, apple and macadamia nut trees as well as some other local fruits whose names I’ve forgotten. Behind the house there is a stand of Pines, Redwoods and Cyprus which Mike plans to harvest and mill himself for building timbers. The only animals on the farm currently (besides Meowie the cat) are chickens, a flock of hens lay eggs and some young roosters are being fattened up for meat. Much of the family’s meat comes from the sea in the form of fish, mussels, clams, crayfish (lobster) and poua (abalone) or deer, pigs, pheasant, peacocks and rabbits are taken from the bush. From Claire’s wwoofing host description and our correspondence leading up to my arrival it was made clear that what the Belcik’s are offering is not a basic work exchange but a taste of a lifestyle. They are passionate about how they live and want guest willing to share that passion. I was eager to get started….

Main House

Veg Patch

Garlic

Citrus Orchard