Table of Contents What kind of work is available in Hastings? Seasonal work availability How do I find work?

What do I need to legally work in New Zealand? What kind of clothes/equipment do I need to bring to work? Where can I buy groceries? What is there to do in and around Hastings? Where can I park my car? What services does the Rotten Apple offer? Why you should wash your dishes and clean up after yourself Suggestions

What kind of work is available in Hastings? The city of Hastings and the larger Hawkes Bay area has over a hundred orchards and vineyards that offer seasonal work to backpackers. Different jobs are available during different times of the year depending on which crops are ripe. Below is a breakdown of what kind of work you can expect to find in Hastings: Apple Thinning A single apple tree can produce 200+ apples, but with so many apples on the tree theyll bump into each other and bruise. Since the tree has to support so many apples theyll grow small and sour. So workers need to come in and pick the excess apples off the tree to give them room to grow and nutrients to ripen. After you pick the excess apples off the tree you just throw them on the ground being careful not to let them hit and bruise the lower hanging fruit. Apple thinning is usually paid by contract. This means you get paid between $.75-$10 for every tree you thin. The reason for the price difference is because young apple trees are very small and only need a few apples removed while old apple trees are very big and take longer to thin. Often times you can make more money thinning small, cheap trees than the big, expensive ones. Apple Picking After apple trees are thinned theyre left to sit while the apples ripen. Once the apples are ripe backpackers go back into the orchard with specially designed buckets that you can wear on your chest. You pick the apples off the tree and gently place them in the bucket. Once the bucket is full you carry it to a large bin and gently empty your apples into the bin. Orchards tend to pay between $30-$40 per bin. Again, the price difference depends on how big the apple trees are and how many apples are on the trees. The harder it is to fill a bin, the more money you get paid per bin. Other Picking Jobs In addition to apples, Hastings also has peach, plum, fejoia and pear orchards. Theyre picked the same way as apples and offer similar pay. There is also strawberry, blueberry and kiwi fruit picking available. Pack House Once all the fruit is picked off the trees the fruit is sent to a pack house where workers remove all the damaged fruit and pack the good fruit into shipping containers to be sent all over the world. This work typically pays $13.75 per hour. This is great work for female backpackers. Wire Lifting Vineyards grow their grape plants in long, straight rows. Since grape vines arewell, vines they naturally just hang down and grow along the ground, but that ruins the grapes. So vineyards install

heavy wooden poles in between every 2-4 grape plants. Then 3-4 wires are stretched across the poles. Young grape vines will latch onto the lowest wire, but it wont naturally latch onto the higher wires. So as the plants grow workers need to go into the vineyard periodically and lift the wires to a higher position on the pole and tuck any wild-hanging vines up into the top wires. Wire lifting is sometimes paid hourly ($13.75 before tax) or by contract where you get paid per vine. You can usually work faster by working with a partner. Leaf Plucking Grapes need direct sunlight on them to ripen. So workers are sent into the vineyards to pick the leaves off of the vines that are covering the grapes. Just be careful not to pick too many leaves off, because the grapes still need to absorbe light through the leaves to turn into energy for the plant. Leaf plucking is typically paid hourly ($13.75) Grape Thinning Just like with apples, grapes vines grow too much fruit too close together. So workers are given pruning scissors to cut the excess grapes off. This work can be paid per plant or per hour ($13.75) at the vineyards discretion. Grape Picking Once the grapes are ripe its time to cut the bunches off and drop them in a bin that will be collected and replaced by another worker. This work can be paid per plant or per hour ($13.75) at the vineyards discretion. Grape Pruning After the grapes are picked the vines are cut back so only the biggest, best branches are left. This work is usually paid per plant. Other Jobs Hastings has several large factories that offer work to backpackers doing jobs such as putting labels on bottles and cans, packing boxes and other light duties. These jobs typically pay $13.75 per hour and require a drug test. The only way to get these jobs is to submit a resume to a local job agency. So the hostel cannot help get this kind of work. However, if youre interested you can contact the job agencies yourself: http://www.awf.co.nz http://www.ablepersonnel.co.nz http://www.adecco.co.nz http://www.tradestaff.co.nz

Seasonal Work Availability January February March April May June July August September October November December apple thinning, wire lifting, pack house, veggies apple thinning, apple picking, wire lifting, leaf plucking, grape thinning, pack house Apple picking, wire lifting, leaf plucking, grape thinning, grape picking, pack house Apple picking Some Apple picking Grape pruning, kiwi fruit Grape pruning, kiwi fruit Grape pruning, kiwi fruit Grape pruning, kiwi fruit apple thinning, wire lifting apple thinning, wire lifting, leaf plucking apple thinning, wire lifting, leaf plucking

How do I find work? The Rotten Apple maintains a database of over 100 employers in and around Hastings who we have an on-going working relationship with. We will contact every single one of them looking for work for you. Though well do everything in our power to help you find work we cant guarantee work or how long it will take to find it. During the summer season it usually only takes 1-3 days to find work. During the winter the wait can be longer. Having your own transportation makes it much easier for us to help you find work since a lot of orchards dont provide transportation for their workers. Make sure you talk to the hostel manager at the reception desk and let him know youre looking for work. What do I need to legally work in New Zealand? You need the following items to work in New Zealand: Valid passport (your employer will ask for a photo copy of this) Valid work visa (your employer will ask for a photo copy of this) I.R.D Number (The PickNZ office at 135 Maraekakaho Rd. can get you an IRD number in 24 hours) New Zealand bank account number

What kind of clothes/equipment do I need to bring to work? You will be working in the hot sun for long hours. So its important to bring a hat, sun tan lotion, several litres of water, lunch and sturdy shoes. You will need gloves for wire lifting, which you can buy at any grocery store. Gloves arent necessary for other work, but you can wear them if you prefer.

Where can I buy groceries? Countdown Exit the back door of the hostel and make a left on Queen St. Go straight for three blocks, and Countdown will be on your right. New World (Groceries) Exit the front door of the hostel and make a left on Heretaunga St. East. Go straight for three blocks until you reach the roundabout. New World will be on your left. Pack N Save (Groceries) Exit the front door of the hostel and make a right on Heretaunga St. East. Cross the town center and youll be on Heretaunga St. West. Continue straight for five blocks. Pack N Save will be on your left. When you reach the Tomoana roundabout Pack N Save will be on your left. K-Mart (household goods and clothes) Exit through the back door or the hostel and make a right on Queen St. Then make your first left onto Karamu Rd. Go straight for one block. K-Mart will be on your left. The Warehouse (household goods and clothes) Exit through the back door or the hostel and make a right on Queen St. Then make your first left onto Karamu Rd. Go straight for six blocks until you reach the roundabout. The Warehouse will be on your left. Big Barrel Liquor Exit through the back door or the hostel and make a right on Queen St. Then make your first left onto Karamu Rd. Go straight for two blocks and cross St. Aubyn St. Big Barrel will be on your left. Other Liquor Stores There are two liquor stores adjacent to Pack N Save. Go to Pack N Save, and you cant miss them. Post Office Exit the front door of the hostel and make a right on Heretaunga St. East. Cross the town center, and continue straight for one block or until you reach the roundabout where Heretaunga St. West and Warren St. intersect. The Kiwi Bank/Post Office will be on your left.

What is there to do in and around Hastings? Tamata Peak A twenty minute drive to the top of the mountains for a breath taking view of Hawkes Bay. Use Google Maps for directions. Maraetotara Waterfall The Maraetotara waterfall is about twenty minutes away. You can jump off the waterfall. Theres a fun rope swing and a pleasant walking track. Use Google Maps for directions. Cornwall Park This park boasts a bird avery, Asian garden, playground and green house. Near Pack N Save, its definitely worth checking out. The Horse Race Track Have you ever seen a live horse race? If not then its about time you do. Check www.hawkesbayracing.co.nz to find out when the next race is. You can also place bets and play the slot machines at Zabeels Sports Bar on King St. adjacent to Countdown. Napier Visit the self-proclaimed art deco capital of the world. There are lots of shops and things to see. Buses leave for Napier across from K-mart hourly. Beaches There are nice beaches all along the Hawkes Bay coast. Ocean Beach is one of the local favourites. The Opera House Theres an opera house across from the New World grocery store. If youve never been to the opera you might want to check it out. Sunday Farmers Market Every Sunday from 8:30am-12:30 theres a large farmers market at the Hawkes Bay A&P Showgrounds. Adventure Sports Visit the I-Site visitors centre across from the Rotten Apple to find out about options for paint ball, quad bikes, kayaking and other adventure sports. Surfing The best surfing in Hawkes Bay is at Waimarama Beach and Ocean Beach

Where can I park my car? The parking lot behind the Rotten Apple has several parking spots marked by large red apples. You can use the medical center parking spots in the parking lot between the hours of 6pm and 7am, but the medical centre aggressively tows cars that are left in their spots during business hours. If your car is towed you can pick it up at _________________????????????? What services does the Rotten Apple offer? In addition to helping you find work the Rotten Apple also offer many other services: One hour of free Wifi every day Just connect your laptop to the Now Wifi network and open your internet browser. You will be automatically redirected to the Now Wifi home page that will allow you to use one hour of free Wifi or enter a paid voucher. 1 Gigabyte of Wifi for $10 Pay for an access code at reception and enter the number on the Now Wifi home page. If you just check E-mails and do light surfing without watching videos this can last you for a month. Computer lab internet access Pay for an access code at reception and enter it on one of the computers outside of reception. Prices are: o $1= 30 minutes o $2= 1 hour o $3.50= 2 hours o $5= 3 hours o $8= 5 hours Free Bicycle Ask for the helmet and bicycle key at reception. Be sure to return the helmet and key when youre finished using it as other people would like to use the bike. Indoor Mini Golf Ask for the golf clubs, balls and target at reception. Place the target around the hostel and see who takes the least amount of puts to hit the target. Sports Gear Weve got volley balls, rugby balls, soccer balls and cricket equipment thats all free to use. Just ask at reception. Tent We have a two-person tent that is free to use. Just ask at reception. No other camping gear is included. Parties and Entertainment The Rotten Apple tries to throw theme parties every Saturday, and occasionally throughout the week well also have activities during the evening such as pool tournaments, quiz nights and other fun things.

Why you should wash your dishes and clean up after yourself It might not seem like a big deal to leave a few dishes in the sink or rubbish laying around the hostel, but when 53 people all leave a little mess it adds up to a big mess that someone else has to clean up. When people leave little messes every day it becomes a huge job. These messes dont clean themselves up. A human being has to do the work, and the hostel staff who clean up these messes are already doing everything they can to make your stay at the Rotten Apple enjoyable. Creating more work for them is a little disrespectful. You came to New Zealand to have new experiences not just because theyre fun but because they help you grow in ways that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Seasonal work isnt always easy, but at the end of the day all of that hard work teaches you discipline and responsibility. The only way to become more disciplined and more responsible is to practice discipline and responsibility. Leaving messes for other people to clean up is lazy and irresponsible. Youre doing yourself a disservice by practicing laziness and irresponsibility. Finally, nobody wants to stay in a messy hostel. You can help keep the hostel safe, clean and enjoyable by doing your dishes and picking up after yourself. Then everyone can get on with having a good time. Thank you for doing your dishes and picking up after yourself. Sincerely, The Rotten Apple Staff

Suggestions If you have any suggestions for how The Rotten Apple can improve its service please let the manager know. If you have ideas for fun activities or parties let us know that also. Were always looking for ways to make your stay more enjoyable.