Fun at the Farm

Howdy folks,

I am writing from a cafe in Blenheim NZ as the farm that I’m staying at has dial up Internet connection. I m happily settled in Blind River at Birchmore Farm and despite the remote rural location I’m having a great time.

The farm is located around 35km (south) from the nearest town, Blenheim and you must travel for all necessities. Birchmore is the only livestock farm around here and is utterly surrounded by rows and rows of vines. Wine is the big business in this area with more and more existing land being planted and vine culturists everywhere. The coast is around 4km to the east but the sea is not suitable to swim in. The remoteness leads to fantastic sunrises and clear night skies with brilliant bright star spotting.

The farm deals in small livestock and I’ve been introduced quickly into the farm life which centres on feeding/moving/mating (with one another not me!) the animals. My favourite animal so far is the large Essex Sow who is somewhat intimidating but much nice than most of the Essex girls I’ve met. The whole thing is very reminiscent of the BBC series "Jimmy's Farm".

Soon after I arrived and had met my host, Barb, I realised that I left my wallet in Trevor and so had to make an unscheduled trip to Blenheim the following day to pick up. Barb is a really friendly and accommodating host, not afraid to call a spade a spade and with a wicked sense of humour.

As part of Helpx I’m expected to complete a certain number of hours per day in exchange for food and accommodation. I’ve really enjoyed completing a real variety of tasks and meeting all suppliers, wine makers and friends. The tasks have been from simply weeding the garden, feeding animals, catching sheep, driving round utes and moving sheep, dealing with dying ducks, helping at the farmers market, looking after neighbours animals, chain sawing logs, picking up shopping, picking up animal food etc.

One of the funniest moments was when a ram was brought to the farm to impregnate the ewes, not wanting to do this when being transported from one trailer to another the ram made a dash for freedom. As I was very close I ended up in some sort of ram rodeo until we managed to calm him down.

Barb had a contract with a local vineyard to house workers for the harvest and so I am living with vine culturists from Moldova, Spain and Germany. The farm has a real international flavour.

Excellent food and good fresh country air has led to me feeling good with plenty of energy until my head hits the pillow at night and the lights immediately go out! We have been to Blenheim to an Irish Bar (they’re everywhere don’t you know!) called Paddy Barry’s and enjoyed drinking the black stuff and participating in the weekly pub quiz.

It seems on my trip I keep running into pregnant dogs and this did not change on the farm with Barb and me babysitting a neighbour’s pregnant bitch until she (Bess) finally gave birth to five gorgeous puppies on Saturday evening.
Sunday was the Blenheim Farmers market and I helped out on the Birchmore stall, it really showed how popular and central to the towns these markets were (compared to UK) as many people flocked round. We were selling a range of products from Sausages, eggs, bacon, steak, cakes, jams, curd and marmalade and beans.

I have been invited on a biannual Goose Hunt this weekend for three days on New Zealand’s largest farm and will involve camping and staking out the Canadian Geese. The geese are a notorious pest over here and this is an organised hunt on controlled land that most Kiwis’ have never seen. I keep getting told how privileged I am and that I’m going to be the camps bitch. On Sunday the hunters came to a neighbour’s field and honed their shooting skills on clay pigeons. I had a go and I hit one with only my second shot, however my lasting memory will be the wide array of guns on show and enjoying a good few beers after the shooting had ceased round the back of the utes; not to mention the sore should I had the day after.

Must go soon as need to head back, 6 long tailed sheep are still missing and we need to take two young calf’s to a new home. I am really enjoying it here and it’s nice to take a break from the lifestyle of travelling (packing, unpacking, moving, arranging trips). Future plans are unclear but my first experience of helpx has been positive and so I would like to continue if possible.