We spent the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in the SE corner of the North Island on a farm, 45 Km from the Castlepoint Lighthouse. Castlepoint is said to be the most spectacular site on the entire Wairarapa coast and will be a destination for us on another trip.
We arrived on Saturday, after a wonderful drive . The route followed the coast of the Tasman Sea and then inland to Palmerston North, past the Tararua Wind Turbine farm, the biggest in the southern hemisphere, then through the Manawatu (don't look down) Gorge, then on to (don't blink or you will miss it) Alfredton.
Palmerston North, or 'Palmy', as it is known deserves some note. It is home to 70 major educational and research institutes, including the Sport and Rugby Institute. The National Rugby Team, The All Blacks, train here as well as other international elite athletes. So one-third of the population are between 15 and 30.
Activity in 'Palmy' is centred around the square, where we had our picnic lunch. An East Indian festival was taking place and we saw dancers and smelled the kitchens' aromas that were set up in white tents. We also bought some gaiters and walking sticks at a Kathmandu Outdoor store.
We arrived at the farm of our NZ friends, and there were babies everywhere! Ducklings, piglets, puppies, chicks, lambs, and calves. They even have a baby magpie! We were treated to a lovely meal of lamb roast and veggies.
We brought pavlova and kiwis. We drifted off to sleep with a howling wind funnelling through the valley and the whining of puppies.
After a leisurely breakfast we all got dressed for the farm jobs. They have about 100 sheep and they needed to be mustered ( herded) towards the farm shed. They were scattered around the valley and 3 dogs were used to round them up and get them down to the corner gate. It was art in motion! Calls, whistles and hand signals directed the dogs. One dog responded to calls in Maori. It was really interesting seeing how they all worked together without rushing the sheep or leaving any lambs behind.
We pushed them into a fenced area under the shed roof. Simon wore a backpack of drench, a de-worming medicine, and he pushed a hose down the ewes' throat and gave them a splash. We shoved the ewes down a chute and they ran out to the field to wait for their babies.
Each lamb had to be lifted up and put on it's back. If it was a girl, they got a piece of ear clipped out on the right ear (a tag) and if it was a boy, then it was the left ear. Two injections went into their chest subcutaneously, one was a B12 and the other was a vaccine. If it was a boy, then their testicles had to be squeezed into their body cavity and then an elastic was put around the sac. I avoided doing this job!
The last thing that had to be done was their tail had to be docked. This is for the health of the animal, I was told and they felt that the hot knife was the most humane way to go about it. A hot knife cut through the wool, skin and cartilage and held there for a second to cauterize the wound. Then the whole bum area got a wash with an anti-fly spray. Then Bob's your Uncle! The little lamb got a pet on it's head and it was whisked off the cradle and it scampered off into the field leaping into the air and kicking it's heels, bleating for it's momma.
The girl tails were put into one pile and the boy tails were put into another pile. When they were counted up it was realized that one lamb had been missed!
" Right," said Paul. "We have a job for Simon." "Simon, if you can wade through that sea of white fleece and pull out the lamb that still has it's tail on......you're a farmer!"
Simon walked in with low, wide steps pushing the sheep this way and that, and Viola! He tackled the little guy and held him high and I swear both their tails were wagging!
Simon brought the lamb over to the quad and we did the tasks and let him go again to run back into the flock.
It was very satisfying finishing a big job like that and learning new skills. I can now put ear tagging on my resume!
After a lunch of grilled cheese and onion sandwiches we had to set off for the 3.5 hour ride home. We left Simon there for a week to work on a sheep station one valley over. Paul said the job we just did was a fraction of what was about to come. On sheep stations it is not uncommon to do 2000 sheep in a day!
Good luck Simon!
Thanks for reading!
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