May 20th - Day 14 in New Zealand

G’day mate and matens, (Sorry, still working on the language)

Today we left Oamaru to visit a partnership a few minutes out of town.  They labeled themselves as “intensive croppers.” They specialized in the production of sunflower and canary seed with a variety of other crops.  We were blown away when we walked into the office and saw birdseed sitting on the table. They mix and package the seeds they grow and sell to 95% of the pet stores in New Zealand.  We then toured the paddocks (fields) and he told us some history of the farm. 

After this tour we headed to John and Joanne Van Polanen’s farm.  They had a 680 cow irrigated dairy farm.  They got married at 21 and started farming right out of college.   He had a small herd of ten cows and this grew to what it is today. They used pipes to utilize the use of gravity for irrigation.  They had really good land and a beautiful house.  John owned the cows and the land, of this 20/80 share milking operation.  So this showed us the other side of a share milker operation. 

We dropped off Sophie, Lauren, and Wyatt with a taxi to the airport.  Saying goodbye was quite difficult being we have been spending two weeks together. 

We ended our day at the Selwyn District Council in Rolleston. This would be like our state government.  They are right after the central government.  These folks were a hoot!! They were hilarious; keeping us entertained the whole evening.  They fed us, gave us drinks, and socialized with us about many issues.  They really knew how to enjoy their work.  After this, we sat in on part of the discussions going on in the meeting room.

We are now sitting in the hotel room waiting to go to AUSTRALIA!! We will all be on the same flight over there leaving at 15:40 New Zealand time.  Farewell New Zealand! You have been great to us.  There was an aftershock on Friday the 17^th here in Christchurch, lets hope we don’t end up on the floor.

G’night mates!

Derek and Ashley

May 19th - Day 13 in New Zealand

After saying good bye to our farm stay hosts we headed to Oamaru. On the way we made a stop at Robert and Maryanne Kane's farm which is a fourth generation farm. We started off with a tour of their 600, soon to be 700, head dairy farm that was built just three years ago but still looks like new! It was our first rotary parlor that recorded individual daily milking records using the EID tag system.  They are also very focused on pasture management by trapping effluent, or manure and then using an irrigator to spread it onto to the paddocks. They also continually measured pasture growth using a pasture meter, which is a box that is pulled behind the ATV and uses GPS to track where they measure.

We then went onto see a mob of sheep. Yes a mob, that is what they call everything here, not herds or flocks. He was in the process of transferring the sheep into a different  paddock, however this did not go smoothly with spectators. The sheep got spooked and  the mob ran through the fence. We felt pretty bad about it, but it wasn't to bad of a fix.
After the sheep we looked at his Hereford and Angus bulls. He is having a sale soon so he thought it would be a good idea for us to walk through them to see how they would react with large groups. Amongst the Angus bulls he kept two billy goats. We found this strange, he said that the goats will stop the bulls from fighting. These little goats physically get between these giant bulls and separate them!

Once we arrived at Oamaru we checked into our hotel and quickly got back into the bus to head to the cove! Why? To see little blue penguins of course! There is 100 of these flightless birds that nest in this region. During the day the parents go out to sea and hunt for food. At dusk they return to the beach in small groups, also known as rafts. There is a small platform for people to watch as they climb up the rocky ledge to there nests. No photography was allowed, but we were able to leave a little note at the penguin center.

See you soon!
Colton and Lauren

May 18th - Day 12 in New Zealand

Farm Stay and Queenstown

Today we had the morning to do as we wished with just one stipulation, be out of the hotel by 10am. Pat, Ashley, Tasha, and Lauren went out in search of a spa, but all of the spa's were booked for high schooler's event. So they just ventured out into the downtown Queenstown area. Dana found new adventures and journaled, as per usual sitting by the lake. Colton, Taylor, Cody, and Derek climbed up a mountain that took them about a hour. Wyatt went to a scenic overlook. The group all met at the hotel that was atop of cardiac hill (a very steep incline inducing cardiac stress).

Then we broke off into 3 groups to go to farm stays. One of the groups stayed with Murray and Joyce Turner. Dana, Tasha, Lauren, Sophie, and Grant stayed at the dairy and sheep farm. Murray had lived on his farm since he was two and he has now retired and is leasing out the farm to his nephew and another farmer. We received a tour of the farm, seeing Friesian cows being milked with a rotary milking system. We also saw the post dip that was automated when the cups had came off. Then we ventured into a paddock that was being used to winterize cattle. There was 200 in a 2 acre area feeding off of barley silage. After that we saw different paddocks for grazing and where they keep many of the sheep.There was also a tour of the wool shed, and they had 4 shearers and they harvest the wool twice a year. Murray was also a John Deere man! Joyce and Murray showed us great hospitality and we all had a great time drinking tea and watching some of the different sports like net ball that is area's ( Netball!) being played, and even a episode of the notorious Country Calendar. Lauren found out that the cooking book she bought, Edmunds (akin to Julia Child in popularity), contained the pavlova recipe that we had for desert. Dana even got a chance to conquer her crippling fear of 3D puzzles, her family would be very proud.
     
Wyatt, Ken, Julie and I (Taylor) stayed at Fergus and Lynn Collie's sheep farm for our farm stay. After a little searching around town we found the right spot to be picked up by Fergus and headed to his farm just outside Otautau. Our first stop was at a neighboring dairy barn where we got to see our first rotary milker in use which really helped me fully understand the how it actually worked. From there we took a driving tour of his beautiful farm, we even got to get our hands and shoes, dirty by helping herd some sheep to a different paddock. When the last stray sheep was in the paddock we went back to the house to warm up by the fire with a nice cup of tea while we talked about everything from our childhoods on the farm to politics. After an amazing meal and watching New Zealand's Young Farmer club, which is kinda like the FFA competition, we called it a night.

The final group Cody, Colten, Derek, Ashley, and Pat stayed with Bruce and Annabel Russell.  We were picked up on the side of the road by Bruce who brought us to his son Brian's deer farm. When we showed up to the farm, Brian was out in the truck feeding the deer, so we went out and met him in the field.  When we got out there we noticed that a little kid was driving the truck, he was four years old, waving at us while standing on the seat steering.  Then they gave us a tour where the little four year told us everything we needed to know about the farm.  Even though we couldn't understand him half of the time, we learned a lot from him.  He told us how they had a possum paddock where a week ago people came in and trapped 700 possum.  Then we went and saw the trophy deer that they were raising, which scored over 300. Unfortunately it  wasn't large enough for the buyers, so they will try again next year.  After visiting Brian's farm we went to Bruce's house were we met Annabel. She offered us tea and muffins and then showed us to our rooms.  After tea, we went out and toured Bruce's farm.  He brought us up through the high county using little farm trails which were a little scary for some of us flat landers.  We drove through streams, along side mountains, and even over top of the mountain, all of which was really exciting.  When we arrived back at the house there was a plate full of snacks that we munched on while getting to know each other and our hosts.  Luckily it was then time to eat dinner. We had an amazing lamb roast with veggies and potatoes.  After dinner we talked some more and then called it a night.  

May 17th - Day 11 in New Zealand

Adventure Day!

We got a early start to travel the three hour drive to Queenstown. This city is known as the home of bungy jumping, beautiful scenery (including many landscapes used for the making Lord of the Rings) and its all around tourist hub of New Zealand. The scenic drive took us through some of the most gorgeous views yet. Driving from Twizel to Queensland took us through the Lindis Pass, Cromwell and the Kawerau Gorge which was some of the most breathtaking mountainous sights. Along the road, we saw a truck hauling 650 sheep with four levels when we filled up at the station. This was the first livestock transport that we were able to get a good look at.

Arriving in Queenstown before noon gave us the opportunity to drive through the town to check out some of the local hotspots and where various tours and adventures would start.  We then made a quick stop at the hotel to drop off our luggage and the craziness ensued.

This being the birth place of bungy jumping, we said goodbye to two courageous members of our group as they prepared for the step taking them over the edge: literally. Lauren and Tasha were the two that took advantage of this triller experience.

The next six that left were Derek, Colton, Sophie, Taylor, Ken and Julie as they took the voyage on the Jet Boats that get to speeds of 70 mph and spin through narrow gorges and streams. They said this was exhilarating! The rocks were inches from the boat and the river was only a foot deep in some places. The boat was 700 horses of pure power!

After the jet boating, Derek and Colton headed off and rented two mopeds to explore the city. They headed out of town on a winding hilly road, where Derek's moped did not perform the best. Turns out the one was a little weak when it came to hills.  They rode around about two hours, remembering to stay on the left hand side of the road. They managed to navigate through the roundabouts and traffic as both were in one piece when they got back!

Other adventures were zip lining, walking tours, and shopping. Many of the shops were the same as back home such as Roxy and Billabong, among others. However, things are much more expensive!

We were not able to take too many pictures of the activities but if you want to check out what we did, follow these links

shotoverjet.com
bunjy.co.nz
ziptrek.com
or check out the Queenstown visitor website at www.queenstowninformation.co.nz


Tomorrow we also get the chance to be tourists all morning before we take off to our farm stays. One student plans on doing a canyon swing, some others are going to a spa, while others plan on sleeping in! Because we will be at our farm stays tomorrow evening, do not expect a blog post for tomorrow. We will not have access to post it so we just want you to know that we are alive and doing well but will not post.

Peace out,

Sophie and Wyatt

May 16th - Day 10 in New Zealand

We started our day out by traveling to a little town called Geraldine, where there was little boutiques to shop.  On the way there, we finally got to see something we were used to...PIGS! There is only a couple of pig farms in New Zealand, so this was quite exciting.

We then continued into the foothills of the Southern Alps where we met our producer, Paddy Boyd.  He is the manager of Haldon Station, where Hans and Jenny Klisser own the business.  The cooks of the farm, served us some delicious dinner where we had a home cooked New Zealand meal.  Paddy talked to us about the farm that he managed.  It consists of 22,000 hectares with 10,000 merino ewes, 150 rams, 1,000 head of cattle, and 6,000 red deer that are used for both venison and velvet production.  

This is obviously a big farm so they staff ten workers including five individuals and five families.  Since this farm is an hour and a half away from civilization, they have their own school for the kids, many houses for the families, and housing complexes for the individuals. All of this is included with there salary and wages to work and live here.  Each worker brings their own tools to the business.  Some of these would include dogs.  Dogs are valuable to this farm due to high terrain and amount of sheep they have.  There is a total of 40 dogs to six different masters.  Each well trained dog is worth between $2,000 and $4,000.

This part of the country experiences long hot dry summers and cold dry winters.  They receive an average of 12-15 inches of rain yearly.  Since they receive so little rain they have to irrigate their land.  In order to irrigate the land, they have to get an approval from multiple different parties.  This is really difficult to do and very expensive.  To convert 90 acres of grassland to a pivot irrigation it costs half a million dollars.  The challenge in future years will be how to properly supply and utilize water.

This area has an infestation of rabbits.  The livestock has to compete with the rabbits for food, causing less grassland for the livestock.  To take this into prospective, Paddy hires a rabbit hunter to come and harvest the rabbits.  The rabbit hunter works three days a week and can bring in 500 rabbits.  He in return takes the rabbits and sells them to restaurants.  Even when we were driving throughout the farm, rabbits were running everywhere and if you couldn't see a rabbit, you could see the droppings they left behind!

We finished our day out by seeing Lake Tekapo.  This lake had a beautiful view of the snowy mountains and the clear water of the lake.  This area is grateful for the use of mans best friend, so they made a memorial here.

Ashley Roiger and Cody Wehner

May 15th - Day 9 in New Zealand

     We started our first full day in the South Island by taking a quick tour of Christchurch's devastation from the earthquake in 2011. Most of the wreckage was in the center of the city though houses in the residential area suffered many cracks. It was interesting that a lot of the wooden buildings stayed intact while buildings made of steel and old brick collapsed. Christchurch is still in a period of deconstruction, and it's estimated it will take a total of 30 billion dollars to rebuild. For residential homes the Earthquake Commission repairs cracks and helps with re-painting damage and that money comes from 5% of their regular home insurance. In the chance that the Commission runs out of money the government guarantees to provide the necessary funding. One of the most damaged buildings was the main cathedral. The main spire that's collapsed in the earthquake was almost as tall as the crane in the picture. As of now the city is unsure of the style of remodeling, either Classic Gothic or Modern.
      After leaving Christchurch we headed to the Nevele R Stud ranch, where we spent a short amount of time. They breed standard bred horses for cart racing in New Zealand and the U.S.  Many of theses studs are worth over a million dollars and their semen is worth up to $13,000. One well-known stud is Lis Mara. Each year this ranch breeds as many as 500 mares by AI, often 20 at a time. One of the most interesting aspects was the way they name the horses. Many rules apply in this process, including the first letter of the dam's name had to be used in one part of the colt's name.
     Next we headed to David Ward's "intensive" crop farm where he also finished 20,000 lambs and 1,000 deer. His farm is fully irrigated and 100% no till and through innovative management practices he has improved his soil structure. Another example of his creativity was demonstrated by the fact that even though he overstocked on deer, he supplemented the nutrition with excess squash from a local producer. By intensive cropping we mean that there is always something growing in each of his fields. Many people believe this is destructive, but he is adamant that his practices improve more than anything which can be demonstrated by the improved soil conditions.
     Our final stop of the day was at Ted and Sue Rollinson's dairy farm. Ted and Sue, sadly, were on holiday but we were able to talk with their 50:50 share-milker Tom Hannigan. Before we began our tour of the farm we got to eat lunch which consisted of a vegetable type soup, grilled-cheese roll ups, and different varieties of pizza toast. The lunch was definitely different from anything we have in the U.S., but we all agreed it was delicious. The Rollinson's own around 1300 head while the share milker has about 900. They flood irrigate most of their pastures, and supplement the feed with palm kernel. We saw our first rotary milking system of the trip here. In this particular rotary, 70 cows could be milked at a time. Tom was very enthusiastic about his job as he talked about his role in this operation the whole time we were with him.
     Our last stop was to the supermarket to stock up on breakfast foods and goodies for the next few days. It's safe to say that the full days of touring are beginning to catch up with us as the bus rides are getting quieter and quieter. We're looking forward to a later start tomorrow morning for our second day on the South Island. Have a great morning!

Taylor and Sophie :)

May 14th - Day 8 in New Zealand

After our fun adventures on the north island we are all ready to head for the south island. We said our farewells to our bus driver, Logan, and tour guide, Ron McPhail, bright and early in the morning as we head for the three hour ferry ride to Picton. Easily the biggest boat we have ever seen with ten levels, a cinema, and room to fit multiple cars and semis. We were lucky to find seats in the front row of the hull, although most of us spent most of our time on the observatory deck. It was very very windy on the open sea, but as we entered the channel it became calmer and we could appreciate the beauty of the country and wildlife...such as dolphins!

We arrived safely to the port town of Picton, where we grabbed a quick bite to eat. The fries were amazing and thankfully they had real ketchup! From there we boarded our six hour long bus ride to Christchurch. On the way we made a pit stop and had the chance to get up close to the ocean, the tide was a little quicker then the guys, as Colton, Derek, and Cody ended up with wet shoes. We had a slight delay as shepherds were moving sheep across the road to a new pasture. Our number count ranges from 300 to near a thousand. Either way there was a lot of sheep. Also pretty cool to see the herding dogs in action. We were welcomed into Christchurch with a beautiful sunset and the fog rolling in from the ocean. Tomorrow we start to see what south island has to offer for their agricultural sector.

Colton and Lauren