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| Hereford bull at Lillburn Station |
After a beautiful day on the Doubtful Sound, we woke up in
scenic Te Anau. We headed off to Lillburn Station, a Hereford, sheep, and deer
farm. Darryl and Jamie King met us at the farm, and we split into smaller
groups to tour the farm in their trucks. Our first stop was at the wool shed,
where they shear their sheep every six months to optimize their animals’
health. The shed can hold about 4,000 sheep, with each shearer shearing 300 to
400 sheep per day. They plan to renovate the 1950s wood flooring to plastic
flooring to maintain cleanliness in the shed. Our next stop was at the top of
their property to view their breeding hinds (female red deer). We also saw
their stags, which are harvested for velvet every 50 days. They also take
advantage of the wild deer on their property, shooting them and harvesting the
antlers and venison. We drove on through the property, stopping at their duck
and deer-hunting cabin “The Mill”. Here we saw some of their Hereford cows,
which are selected based on phenotypes and bred using AI. The station also has
an upcoming bull sale, which features 16, 2-year-old purebred Hereford bulls.
After admiring the sale bulls in their pasture, we headed back to the main barn
for lunch. Lunch featured beef, lamb, and venison, which we all heartily
enjoyed. Overall, each of us enjoyed the stop and decided it was one of the highlights
of the trip. Next, we drove to meet up with our farm stay hosts at a local park
in Miller’s Flat.
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| Students waiting patiently for lunch |
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| Group photo at Lillburn Station |
Ava, Beth, and Robin stayed with Karen at her sheep farm
just outside of town. The property has the ruins of an 1880s shearing shed,
which used to have 40 shearing stalls before it burnt down. After a short walk
taking in the sheep & scenery, Karen cooked a lovely dinner of lamb roast,
pumpkin, potatoes, and quince crisp for dessert. Karen was very sweet and
willing to share all aspects of her life, and invited us to come back the next
time we find ourselves in the country.
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| L to R: Kayleen, Kallie, & Briana w/ their host |
Briana, Kayleen, and Kallie spent their evening with Allan
and Karen Edward. After recently passing down the farm to their daughter, they
now spend their time caring for a 100 sheep flock, which they consider a hobby
farm. We enjoyed watching the USA vs. New Zealand women’s rugby game, while
making small talk about the different farming systems. Throughout the evening,
we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Karen which consisted of lamb, mashed
potatoes and vegetables.
Jaydon, Kyle, and Cade stayed with Megan Botting and her
8-year old twin sons, Mason and Aiden. Megan and her husband, Josh, recently
took over a beef and sheep operation that Megan’s parents ran. We got to see
their replacement heifers and herding dogs. We then enjoyed delicious venison
fillet and a potato and greens salad. We enjoyed learning about their farm and
watching a rugby match. The boys also provided some great entertainment.
Hadley, Emily, Julienne and Aletta
all traveled up the mountainside to the Garden’s farm home of Austin, Victoria,
and their 4 kids. Austin picked us up at the bus and began the winding trek
towards their home and was able to sneak a quick farm tour before the sun
started to set. The farm had Romney cross sheep, composite beef cows, red deer
and timber. We got to see the calves on kale stalks and the wild fallow deer
that roamed with their red deer herd. Lastly, we got to see the deer shed
before heading in for supper. We then spent time around the fire, chatting
about school while dinner was cooking. Once it was ready, we gathered around
and enjoyed homegrown venison, pumpkin, fresh salads, and potatoes. Dessert was
full of kiwi pavlova, and we spent the rest of the night playing cards with the
girls while rugby played in the background. The windows in our rooms were
filled with stars as we fell asleep, and in the morning, we woke to a bright
sunrise. A perfect New Zealand stay!
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| L to R: Elle, Rosemary & Dr. Nold |
Rosie and Elle had Rosemary and
Wade for their farm stay. Wade brought them out to the middle of a pasture for
a quick walk. He luckily picked them up and brought them to Rosemarys. They had
a night full of conversation and excellent food and drinks. Rosemary made beef
olive and vegetables. For dessert she made pudding and icecream. They had a
night of conversation ranging from cars, tv shows, and more.
Carl and Hayden stayed with Ken, a
retired sheep and beef farmer that lives on the edge of Millers Flat. He farmed
for over 60 years on the South Island in various places throughout his career.
We spent the evening talking about beef, sheep, and even got to look through
his old picture book to see some history of New Zealand agriculture. The
highlight of our homestay was getting to see his neighbors Red Stag operation.
He is a hunting outfitter operation and has multiple world record stags in his
herd with one having over 75 points on his rack.
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| Casey pictured with Lochland |
Julie, Halle, and Casey stayed with
Mark and Caroline Jessop. Caroline made us a wonderful dinner of lamb and
veggies with a rhubarb and Apple crumble for dessert. Followed by good
conversation and some puppy love on their dogs Luna and Bear. The following morning,
we watched the beautiful sunrise while listening to the river outside. For
breakfast we had eggs and bacon followed by more conversation.
Mitchell and Bruce stayed with Gray
and Robyn Pannett at their home farm, Limehills Polled Hereford Stud. We took a
scenic drive through the heart of their 9,500 acre operation with sheep and
beef being well balanced off one another. The terrain that the farm covered
varied greatly with some flat ground that gets put into crop to graze finish
beef and lamb. We had a fantastic steak and vegetable supper around the kitchen
table as we talked about all things cattle and production systems.
We were all accepted into more Kiwi
families and couldn’t be more grateful for their time they have given to us.
Written by Briana, Ava, and Jaydon
