A farmstay is similar to a bed and breakfast where you can help out with the farm chores and also eat meals with the family you are staying with. I had researched this and looked up several farmstays in NZ. I wanted to stay at a sheep farm as well, just to see what it's all about. I learned alot!
Sherrington Grange, The Harper Family--This family consists of Mom-Julie, Daughter-Lisa (my age), Son-Rob, his fiance, Sabina (german girl, 25), 2nd Son-Hamish, his wife Annie (scottish) their 18 month old, Fiona. This farm is on 450 acres in the Marlborough Sounds and is VERY remote. They have the main house where I stayed, and two other houses on the property where the two sons and their families live.
They are a very diverse farm, sheep, cheese, orchards and honey from bee hives. Since the government took away the subsidaries from the sheep farmers, many economic farms couldn't afford to keep sheep to sell, so many had to downsize their flock. It become too expensive to feed and care for the sheep. This farm downsized to 50 head, two billy goats, one pet pig--Miss Piggy, dog and a horse named Honky. The directions to get there were a bit confusing, I was told to go "inland" from the mainroad, but inland to me means away from the water, they meant inland onto the peninsula. Okey-dokey. It's a good thing I arrived during daylight, I never would have found it in the dark. The Harper Family sells cheese and honey on a commercial level in order to have multiple streams of income. They sell sheep for meat, not wool. The higher climates have sheep that have finer wool for which there is more of a market. The wool the Harper's sheep have (thicker hair) is not in demand so there is not a market for it.
Neighbor, Paul--They have a 78 year old neighbor that comes to help the family w/ the sheep, shearing, crutching, vaccines etc. I of course, wanted to help and get in w/ the sheep and see what it's all about. That day, Paul and I were to get all the sheep into the yard. Now, the terrain is very steep, thick rainforest type and then less steep, grassy fields. The paddocks consists of several acres a piece separated by wire fences. We had to herd these sheep (on foot) from three different paddocks into one paddock, across the road to a smaller paddock and then into the yard to then separate the ewes from the hoggets. Sheep farmers use dogs usually or do this on foot. We had no dogs that are sheep dogs. Paul and I were on this high road in order to check the thicker terrain for sheep and we spotted a few above. You have to be behind the sheep to herd them. In order to get behind them, one of us had to climb a steep, muddy embankment. I volunteered, but couldn't get myself up bc I wasn't tall enough. Next thing I know, Paul says, "I'll put my shoulder into it," I look back and he bent over, put his shoulder under my butt and hoisted me over the bank! I was on all fours to climb up and grab the shrubbery to hold myself. Imagine my surprise, one bc he did that and two bc he 78 and three it worked! Anyway, we got the sheep down and it took some work. He would point w/ his walking stick where he wanted me to go and I would follow his lead. It was cool. :)
Holy Sheep!--Here's what I know about sheep now: It takes one ram (for mating, reproduction) for a 50 head flock. The ram needs to be replaced every other year. This is done bc it can't mate w/ it's offspring bc body size will decrease and more diseases could occur. A lamb is 0-12 months old, a hogget is 12-24 months or called a 2-tooth, or a 4-tooth. A wether is a neutered male. You can't have several rams bc they will compete and fight which releases hormones into their muscles which taints the meat and makes it tough.
0rigianlly I was going to be able to help CRUTCH the sheep, but we got rained out. This is when the wool is trimmed along the undercarriage (belly) and the butt. This is done for two reasons before lambing season, it helps the lambs find the teat easier and flies can nest and lay eggs near the butt and literally eat the sheep alive. Baaaaaad news!
I did get to help DRENCH the sheep. This is basically vaccinating the hoggets, sticking a metal probe in their mouth to squirt in medicine. My job was to mark their heads w/ pink chalk so we could tell which ones had gotten the medicine, then load them onto the trailer, (which is attached to the UTE, not the truck--same thing). Now sheep are dumb. Really dumb. We have them all in a small pen, Paul, Julie and I and we are trying to catch each one, drench it, then mark it and load it. Sheep think if they bury their head down and stand perfectly still, you can't see them. It was so funny! I would look around and four or five all have their heads down in the corner of the pen w/ their butts facing me standing perfectly still. Shhhhh! She won't see us! Don't move!
In order to load them, you basically have to manhandle and toss them about. Grab the wool on the back of their neck and the other hand grabs the wool on their back and toss 'em in. They are scrambling, legs a flyin' to run away, so you have to be quick. It was fun actually :)
Julie raised her kids as a single mom (dad walked out) and has wanted to provide land, a house and job for kids. They have all grown, moved abroad, then moved back to the ranch and are making their living in their specific circle of the family business. The sons do the bee rearing and honey production, daughter does the cheese and marketing for both.
I went fishing out on the sound, in a dinghy. They use no bait, no pole. The day before you lay a net and then pull it up the next day and the fish are caught in it. Untangle the flounder, put em in a bucket then fillet them. Easy fishing.
WWOOFING--This is a step down from a farmstay. Willing to Work On an Organic Farm. College students do this for their agriculture programs, going from one farm to the next during their summers when the farms need extra help. Their work is a trade off for food and board. They are not a paying guest like I was and apparently some WWOOFS are worked to death!
The Harpers--are all very educated as well. Grandparents--grandpa was a chemist, grandma was a general physician, mom and daughter are both botanists...They were very friendly, talked ALOT, and talked over each other to the point I could not get a word in edgewise, but I enjoyed their stories and learned alot and the bed and room were very clean and warm w/ a fabulous view of the sound. I couldn't get reception on the blackberry for phone or email and I found I HATED not being able to be connected the world. I like that I can turn it off if I want to, but like the security of knowing it's there if I need it.
Real Estate--After 9/11 there were 1 in 5 New Zealanders overseas. LOTS of these people sent money home to have their families buy land. That year, NZ was voted the safest country in the world to live. Real estate soured!! The Harper's neighbors are selling their 30 acres for 1.8 million. Imagine what 450 acres is worth, I already did the math, a goldmine.
Netball--I think this is what it's called. Female version of basketball. Except no backboard. The net is the same, but no backboard. The ball is like a soccerball in size and material. They don't dribble, only pass it back and forth and when someone shots, I don't think they can jump. It looks like they have to have booth feet on the ground and everyone freezes when the shooter shots. It must be a big deal bc it is on the news and in the paper, but I am pretty sure it is called netball or maybe that's slang. The girls wear skirts, like a tennis skirt.
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