Sheep Stories and More

I must admit to a real delight in seeing lots of sheep here in NZ! So, I must chronicle a couple of sheep stories from the drive back from Wanaka. Firstly, rounding one corner, we laughed after spying a foursome on a rural golf course leaning on their golf clubs waiting for a flock of sheep to clear the course. (As I commented to Mark about hiking with sheep: pro is hiking with sheep; con is hiking with sheep…scat.)

The second sheep encounter was more dramatic. Traveling at close to 60 mph, Mark rounded a curve on the highway and found himself in a traffic jam. He screeched to a halt amidst a herd of sheep crossing the highway while I struggled to grab my camera since the car had frozen my seatbelt in the process! Lots of noise, dust, running sheep, and cautious drivers. Very fun!

We are not birders. Nonetheless, we have greatly enjoyed seeing and identifying (we think) at least a few NZ birds. These include the tui, magpie, pukeko or swamp hen, black swans, and the aforementioned kea or alpine parrot.

Besides the sheep and cattle, we have also seen large herds of farmed deer and elk. Venison dishes grace many menus.

Lastly, on our Waimate bush hike, we were surprised to stumble on a hedgehog. Sadly, since then, we’ve seen lots of hedgehog road kill along with possums and rabbits. Rabbits are apparently considered a real pest. A side note, one of Mark’s doctor partners invited us to go rabbit hunting with him. (Animal activists beware: this is sport.) He proudly announced that over the weekend he had killed some 600 rabbits on one farm much to the farmer’s delight. We declined the offer even though he had just bought a new 20-gauge shotgun for the next outing.