9/22 - Sheep Farm Visit

First we went for a walk to the Transitional Church, also known as the Cardboard Cathedral, which replaced the Christchurch (Anglican) Cathedral after the 2011 earthquake. It is so named because many of the construction elements are cardboard, designed by a Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, who had created a similar church after the Kobe earthquake. The cardboard look is carried throughout the church, including the cross. It is anticipated it will stand for 50 years. The site was originally another church which was destroyed in the earthquake. It is now multi-denominational but will revert to St. John's after the Cathedral is completed, targeted for 2027.

 When we left, we went to a park that marked the spot where the Christchurch TV Station building was located. It had experienced some earthquake damage earlier and was assessed to be safe. In addition to the TV station, it also housed a language school and consultants organization. It completely collapsed during the earthquake and then burned, killing 115 people of the 185 killed in the quake. It is now a memorial park and will not be built on. I wandered back on my own to the  hotel, past some of the new townhouses and public spaces built since the earthquake.

At 10, we boarded a bus to visit the Rubicon Valley farm, about 40 miles west of Christchurch. There we met Chris and Dell, who host horseback treks and demonstrate sheep dog work, sheep shearing, and provide a BBQ Shearer's Lunch. 

Chris grew up on a farm, but the life didn't suit him, so he became a police officer. After 20 on the force, he retired and developed a tourist business focused on horses and sheep dogs. He introduced us to his three dogs and they gave a demonstration of moving the sheep from a field into a pen. Then one of the Jims in our group (there are 2) got volunteered to separate the 7 sheep into the 3 who needed sheering and the 4 who did not. There was a shute the sheep ran thru and Jim got to open and close the gate quickly to do the separation. He did really well, as only 1 of the sheared sheep got into the holding pen. 

 

At the end of the dog demonstration, we met his two alpacas, and many of us got our pictures taken with them. Chris used to raise alpacas, but it has become uneconomical, so these are his last two, down from a herd of 15. The females can sell for $6000, but the males only for $300-$400. The fine alpaca wool only comes from the back 'saddle' area and is only about 1 kilo per animal, and the rest which is less valuable.  

Back in the barn, Chris told us how sheep were sheared. The old style was a huge scissors that has the advantage of leaving a bit of fleece on the sheep that is useful in colder climates.The more modern style looks like a barber's clippers and is not only much faster, but also much closer to the skin. There are shearing competitions and the timing starts when the shearer releases the sheep from its pen and ends when the sheared sheep is back in the pen. The current fastest shearer is a woman who managed all this in 47 SECONDS. 

Watching Chris at work, it is a wonder how anyone could be that fast. Most of the shearing was done with the clipper, then he gave a couple of us a chance to try the shears, which clearly left about 1/2 inch of coat. A typical shearer could clip 180 sheep in an 8 hour day with a scissors, and 300 with the clipper. When Chris learned clipping, he got paid 85 cents and hour and the fleece was sold for $7-$9 per kilo and a sheep normally yields 3 kilos. Now, shearers get $3 per sheep and the farmer gets $1 per kilo, basically a losing game. The sheep he sheared produces wool that is good for carpets, but the market for wool in general is way down from the past. Many of the sheep here are grown for export, which I suspect is a nice way of saying grown for food.

Dell served a delicious lunch of lamb, beef sausages, potatoes, corn, and salad. For dessert, we celebrated Sandy's birthday with a cake and champagne. 

Then it was back on the bus for the ride back to Christchurch. Sandy and I got off at the market area to sample the ice cream at Rollikin Gelato. We both had the hokey pokey variety and I discovered that the reason I like hokey pokey so much (had some in a small chocolate bar) is that it is the same stuff we call angel food or fairy food in Wisconsin. This is a chocolate covered sponge or honeycomb candy that used to appear primarily at Christmas, and I used to be able to polish off an entire bag on my own.

We had a pleasant walk back to the hotel where we get to pack for our transfer to Dunedin tomorrow morning.