I had wanted to go to a sheep farm and watch the dogs herd the sheep, etc. we found this trip where you were transported by water to a place called Walter Peak High Country Farm 30 minutes away. As it turns out the boat that took us was a 1912 steamship that used to ferry cargo, ie. sheep,etc. she was beautiful and absolutely gleaming and still worked really well. Larry was beside himself. You could see the workings below the deck. We arrived at the sheep farm. It is not a working station. Here is why. The buildings and pastures were owned by the MacKenzies in the early 1900. It is now an historical site kept by the gov't. The houses are stunning, gardens magnificent. We had a barbecue lunch which was included in the price ($95/person). Boy, can they barbecue. Lamb (tried not to think about it), chicken, beef ribs, lamb and more lamb, beef, salads, etc. then were treated to a display of 2 dogs, a border collie, and a bearded collie mix work the sheeps from the immediate hills into the corrals. Watching the bearded perform, I remember Audrey and Mel's dog Mister. This dog jumped all the fences with room to spare just like Mister used to do, only he wasn't herding sheep. Then we were treated to a sheep shearing display. The commentator and demonstrator had a hard time with the sheep that he chose. She was the mother of all the mothers and very strong. He was sweating bullets, but was very comical and said she would make great sausages at the end. Oh, dear! I just wanted to give the poor thing a kiss for putting up with him.
I was hoping to feed the little lambs, but they are born in the spring, so were too old for that. It was a wonderful experience, but I thought if I was ever to come back, I would want to live on a working farm for a few days to experience the whole thing.
We had so much lunch, that I am not planning on dinner tonite. Maybe a salad or something. Met some nice people from England who told us about a site you can get on to book trips like this anywhere in the World for discounts. Drat. Wish I had known.
Tomorrow is our Friday and we are winding down. Larry wants to do a gondola ride tomorrow before we leave here. We are going to the southern most point of the island, called Invercargill. The only other southern part is Stewart Island, which is a huge ferry ride. I don't think I want to spend any more money on that as I would be happy just being down on the coast. You know, the mountains go right down to the coast, so you get a spectacular view, no matter what you do. The weather has been warmer than I expected. This part if the trip is way up there on our list of "Oh, My God".
Larry here, the ship was really neat. The engine room is open to the main deck so you can watch. There is also a cat walk so you can go into the engine room and be one level above the crew working. Everything is original. There was a cable running along the deck just inside the edge of the ship, finally figured out it's the rudder control. Burns one ton of coal per hour and moves along very smartly at twelve knots, length 150 feet. See pics below
I was hoping to feed the little lambs, but they are born in the spring, so were too old for that. It was a wonderful experience, but I thought if I was ever to come back, I would want to live on a working farm for a few days to experience the whole thing.
We had so much lunch, that I am not planning on dinner tonite. Maybe a salad or something. Met some nice people from England who told us about a site you can get on to book trips like this anywhere in the World for discounts. Drat. Wish I had known.
Tomorrow is our Friday and we are winding down. Larry wants to do a gondola ride tomorrow before we leave here. We are going to the southern most point of the island, called Invercargill. The only other southern part is Stewart Island, which is a huge ferry ride. I don't think I want to spend any more money on that as I would be happy just being down on the coast. You know, the mountains go right down to the coast, so you get a spectacular view, no matter what you do. The weather has been warmer than I expected. This part if the trip is way up there on our list of "Oh, My God".
Larry here, the ship was really neat. The engine room is open to the main deck so you can watch. There is also a cat walk so you can go into the engine room and be one level above the crew working. Everything is original. There was a cable running along the deck just inside the edge of the ship, finally figured out it's the rudder control. Burns one ton of coal per hour and moves along very smartly at twelve knots, length 150 feet. See pics below
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