Life on a Sheep Farm!

After seeing Christchuch, four of us got in a van to go visit a sheep farm.

Yes, there were goats too!

I was surprsed to see brown sheep!

They had a 3 legged sheep dog.  He was injured in a farming accident.

See how different the colour is down near the skin

Lots of wool!

Sheep shearing boots so they don't slip aroud.  The farmer sheared the sheep which I recorded.

The finished product.  They do everything at this farm -wash the wool, card the wool, spin the 

Wool and dye the wool.

Easter Memories

I hope everyone had a Blessed and Joyful Easter.  It was pretty wonderful at out house.  

Kirsten and crew came for a late breakfast and Nana's annual egg hunt.  Even Cooper was really interested in hunting for eggs this year.

Eggs the kids dyed earlier this week that we ate for Easter breakfast.

Harlee came back over later in the day and had a sleepover.

Today is the last day of their Spring break.  I know their mother is more than ready to have them back in school.

They all were here for a while today and I provided lunch.

They didn't need me at work and I was on call, for most of the day.  Got called in at 4 for a couple of hours.  

Just Keep Sailing South

To the Banks Penninsula.  Where you find Akaroa.  This place was founded on the edge of a crater from an extinct volcano.

The ships dock here so they can transit people into Christchurch. Christchurch had a significant earthquake the Sunday we started this cruise.  And here it was The Friday after.  It didn't really do much damage and they say Christchurch is always shaking.  It sits right where two fault lines come together. I certainly wouldn't be staying there if that was me!!! Still lots of destruction evident there from the quake in Feb.2011.  We were there almost 5 years later!  Lots of rebuilding too, using new earthquake resistant technology.

This is the memorial they built for all the people that lost their lives with the quake.

There is a walking mall there.

And a working tram

It was at least an hour drive to reach Christchurch through beautiful New Zealand countryside.  Lots of green rolling farmland dotted with many sheep farms.  I would have liked to stop more for photos, but no such luck when you are on a tour bus.

    

Most of these photos were shot from the bus moving down the road.

These silos are now a hotel.  Very inventive, I think.  I would have liked to peek inside them!

This used to be the site where the stage coach stopped back in the day!

We loved the little town of Akaroa and would have liked to have been there longer.

Next up, we visit a sheep farm.

FYI

Just an update- photos from Wellington I have gotten to load!
Will have new post tomorrow!


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A Little Further South

We Visited Wellington, NZ.
Having issues uploading photos will try again tomorrow!

Wellington is at the southern tip of the North Island.
People said it could be very windy here! I thought, right! How could it be windier than Great Falls where we get the wind blowing off the Rocky Mountain Front! Boy, was I wrong!!! They say you need to hang on to lamp posts sometimes!
When we got off the ship to take our tour the rain was coming down sideways! But, before the bus got going the rain had stopped and it turned into a beautiful day!

St. Paul's cathedral. This church is totally made from wood with beautiful stained glass windows.

It is quite hilly.

We visited the botanical gardens. Specifically, the Lady Norwood Rose gardens.

We got to have a ride down the hill on their cable ,

On top of Mt. Victoria where there is a magnificent 360degree view of the area around Wellington

On top of Mt Victoria is this beautiful artwork commemorating Admiral Byrd and his many trip to the South Pole.

Just a bit British there.

So many bikes!

After our morning tour the bus driver let people off in the central business district. We found a cute cafe for lunch. And we never found anything too expensive in New Zealand. Our dollar went a long way there! We never really found the shops we might find a souvenir or two and took the walk back to the ship. And we found out how windy it was too!



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Enjoying the Maori Culture

I thought I should maybe include a NZ map so you can see where I was.









While we were enjoying the geysers at Rotorua, they also have a kiwi house and a Maori culture center!
We visited the kiwi house and were lucky enough to have the kiwi bird awake and moving around. Like so many of the birds and animals "Down Under", kiwi birds are nocturnal! They enclosure it was in was very dark, therefore no photos!









Kiwis are very endangered! If the egg is left in the wild to hatch it only has a 3% chance of surviving! NZ has a program in progress using some electronic system they know when an egg is hatched and they retrieve it and incubate it. Using this system the survival rate is increased to 66%. A vast improvement.








The welcoming center where the upright pillars, reaching to the sky, welcoming the gods.

















They have built a replica of a Maori village







The Maori princess welcomes us





The Maori warrior











Like our totem poles

















They have a carving school here for the natives who want to continue with this art in the current generation.





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