Since I last wrote I have enjoyed a weekend out in the wilds of central NZ hunting invisible Canadian geese and have left Birchmore Farm.
The hunting weekend was really interesting and made all the better by going with a good group of guys.
We had many meetings (at the Irish Bar) in preparation for the big event. I had to complete a large amount of shopping, begging and borrowing to obtain all the equipment that I needed to go.
Hunting is very serious out here and all the guys had professional gear and an assortment of weapons. Rations were vital and so a great deal of unhealthy food and alcohol were taken and consumed.
We left on Friday morning, before sunrise, and joined a convoy heading south to the entrance to the private Clarence reserve (largest farm in NZ) where we were hunting. En route to the reserve we enjoyed our final taste of civilisation - a breakfast pie by the side of the road in Kaikora.
Transport from the entrance of the reserve to our are was difficult as 4x4's with trailers could not get through. Therefore the six guys (including me) that went had 3 4x4 vehicles and 3 quad bikes. I was then made aware that I would need to ride one of the quads the 40km off road to where our hut was.
Having not ridden a quad since I was 12, this was a bit of a challenge. The terrain was tough with steep inclines and sheer drops off either side of the narrow rock/mud tracks. However the views and mountain landscape was stunning and we soon dropped down from the heights into the river valley. This then led to numerous river crossings which led to very wet feet, even through the gators. Along the way if an animal was spotted we stopped and hunted; quails and rabbits were shot and we then continued with our slow progress.
On arrival at the first hut, a wardens hut, we opened a celebratory beer and toasted the moment in the warm morning sun.
After what seemed like hours (and it was!) we got to the area that we'd been allocated to hunt and found a new hut to stay in. The hut was only opened in August 2007 and was in great condition, with 12 bunks and benches and worktops to prepare food on. The location was stunning as it was on the banks of the river (our bath) and surrounded on all sides by mountains.
Soon after unpacking had a skinny dip in the river, very invigorating but cold. Then started the serious activity of scoping out our area for good hunting ground. It was quickly established that we had not been fortunate with our area and so we set off on quads to look further afield. After little success on our scouting mission we returned to the hut and enjoyed beer and food while relaxing in the sun. This soon became the activity of choice for most. In fact this became the activity for much of the weekend as it became apparent Geese were few and far between. We went out hunting at night and had a great success when spotlighting from the 4x4. Rabbits and Hares were shot in number along with one Possum.With the lack of artificial light the sky at night was a fantastic black canvas splashed liberally with a brilliant array of stars.
The weekend continued along much the same lines with hunting becoming more varied, ducks and goats were shot, but soon it was time to head home retracing our tracks back out of the reserve. The journey again took a fair while and even had time to include an accident! Thankfully no one was injured as two of the 4x4s hit one another as the front vehicle stopped suddenly as the driver thought that he'd seen a Goose. The result was that two of the party stayed an extra night and were recovered home the following day. Overall the whole weekend was a fantastic experience and very tiring. It gave me the opportunity to meet new people and see things in a different light - very worthwhile.
Once back at Birchmore Farm I felt that it was time to move on as I had been at the farm for two weeks. I felt that I wanted to head south and managed to locate a small farm and vineyard slightly further south towards Kaikora where I arranged to stay for a few days. My hosts were a semi retired Christian couple who had recently moved back to NZ from Australia and begun an Organic vineyard. The work was very different hear to Birchmore and focused on tending to the small vines and gardening. Jan and Talbot were excellent and friendly hosts, who welcomed me and I spent a good few days with them.
I'm now moving further south (just booked a bus!) and heading back to Christchurch again before venturing further south to explore more of NZ. I'll update you as and when I have further news but I'm still having a fab time!
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