Day 12

 

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.

Students waiting patiently for lunch

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.

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!

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. 

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