The Farmstay - February 9 to 11, 2007

Right after Napier we had a 2-day farmstay in the hills in nearby Hastings. The idea of a farmstay was recommended to us by some friends who taken one when they visited New Zealand, so we decided to do the same. As it happens, our hosts (David and Ngaire Bryant) did not run a farm any longer, but they have a B&B in their home and they take you around to the adjacent farms and show you what is happenning. So we didn't get an intensive working farm visit, but it was still quite interesting for a pair of city people.

The first day we got to know the local sheep (and the dogs) fairly well. David drove us over to the barn where they do the shearing and we watched while two guys and two schoolgirls sheared the sheep, created the bails of rough wool and really worked up a sweat; all this done to the music of the Eagles coming from a boombox!

The farm was spread all over the hills, so we drove up and down and in and out of the various paddocks. David is very big on forestry and he showed us the areas where he had planted trees and then logged them when they reached maturity. Farming in New Zealand is quite different than what we are accustomed to in flat Ontario.

We also drove into Hastings and during the drive we saw an Alpaca farm so we took a few pictures. The owner saw us and he invited us in to see the animals up close, which we did. We were surprised how calm and friendly they were.

Next stop: Rotorua