New Zealand - Land of milk and honey? Holwellcourtfarm's tour 2017

BLG

Member
A bit of a weight issue :whistle:
Yes I don't what the cause was as the loaders are all calibrated, etc, and it wasn't his first flight of the day. They keep quite quiet about it. The same company had a major a few months later when a plane crashed into the only power lines into our area killing the pilot and one other and cutting power to a city of 35000 people and another 20000 in the surrounding area for over two days. The company had had quite a clean record up till then and the owner has done 10's of thousands of hours of ag work without a blemish.
 

York

Member
Location
D-Berlin
Just had some emails from my pal in the Canterbury plain near Rakaia. Photos of 2,000 dry dairy cows up to there bellies in water!!
WB
sounds not good.
As long as they are not "mooing" in the ocean as it happened some years ago @ the north island. Must be scary to hear them mooing in the ocean & in fog.
York-Th.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
"Just had some emails from my pal in the Canterbury plain near Rakaia. Photos of 2,000 dry dairy cows up to there bellies in water!!"

There are also pictures on face book of people back in the paddocks ploughing again in the same area that got the heaviest rain so it can all turn around again very quickly.
You would pull a plough around here pretty easily (luckily) it is pretty firm again already. We got very little, less than 35mm, but cruise up the road and they're still well underwater in places.
Did you see the news footage of the bales bobbing around in the drink? :X3::cry:
That was at the runoff for one of the farms Sarah works on, they've brought some cows back home already to ease the load..

Pleased to have a bit of slope here (y)
 
You would pull a plough around here pretty easily (luckily) it is pretty firm again already. We got very little, less than 35mm, but cruise up the road and they're still well underwater in places.
Did you see the news footage of the bales bobbing around in the drink? :X3::cry:
That was at the runoff for one of the farms Sarah works on, they've brought some cows back home already to ease the load..

Pleased to have a bit of slope here (y)
Yes , saw that.:rolleyes:
 

CornishTone

Member
BASIS
Location
Cornwall
Just had some friends over from Canterbury. They weren't looking forward to what they might find when they get back on Sat! A trifle moist in the area apparently?!
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
OK, Sorry for the silence from me for a few days - Been a bit busy.

I had a discussion with Pete about which route to take back to Christchurch given that I only had 36 hours left in NZ. We did discuss me heading North on SH1 then heading inland to see more of North Otago on the way back

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but, when I was on the move, I decided I was getting quite tired of driving by then and I'd take the easy way back, saving the North Otago scenery for next time :whistle:

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I left the next morning about 9am with a caution from Pete that there could be isce on the road in the shade for some way. I did have just a quick look back at Pete and Sarah's place
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and made my way up through SH1 through some great scenery.
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Across the Clutha River (well, both arms of it actually)
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still sharing the road with the heavy boys in and out of the mist
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then wandered through Dunedin to find the legendary Baldwin Street - Supposedly the steepest residential street in the world :confused:

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Which just HAS to have include giving way at a "T junction" at the top :eek:
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Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
OK, Sorry for the silence from me for a few days - Been a bit busy.

I had a discussion with Pete about which route to take back to Christchurch given that I only had 36 hours left in NZ. We did discuss me heading North on SH1 then heading inland to see more of North Otago on the way back

View attachment 555500

but, when I was on the move, I decided I was getting quite tired of driving by then and I'd take the easy way back, saving the North Otago scenery for next time :whistle:

View attachment 555494

I left the next morning about 9am with a caution from Pete that there could be isce on the road in the shade for some way. I did have just a quick look back at Pete and Sarah's place
View attachment 555510

and made my way up through SH1 through some great scenery.
View attachment 555512
Across the Clutha River (well, both arms of it actually)
View attachment 555514

still sharing the road with the heavy boys in and out of the mist
View attachment 555516

then wandered through Dunedin to find the legendary Baldwin Street - Supposedly the steepest residential street in the world :confused:

View attachment 555544

Which just HAS to have include giving way at a "T junction" at the top :eek:
View attachment 555546
I really must get a match onto that gorsebush along Bell St...:oops::facepalm:
I'm quite glad you stuck to the main drag northwards, given a wee frost by the coast, it would have been interesting up through Middlemarch-Kyeburn :eek:
Did Dunedin have much appeal?
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
then looping back down the next street to head out of town. Of course, it just Has to have another give way "T junction" at the bottom in case you have bad brakes :whistle:

upload_2017-7-26_11-57-5.png

The landscape around Dunedin is pretty "rolling"
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but starts to level out as you travel North
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After Shag Point the road meets the coast. The water didn't look too inviting
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Then after Oamaru I crossed the mighty Waitaki back into Canterbury

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but it looked a bit more moody when I crossed
Waitaki.JPG


Another milk factory loomed up

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But it was evidently canterbury as I started to see strange things like straw bales and vines
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along with MORE cows grazing winter forage

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holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
I really must get a match onto that gorsebush along Bell St...:oops::facepalm:
I'm quite glad you stuck to the main drag northwards, given a wee frost by the coast, it would have been interesting up through Middlemarch-Kyeburn :eek:
Did Dunedin have much appeal?
I see you can't sleep Pete :whistle:

I liked the feel of Dunedin just driving through. I'd like to see more of the area around it though another time. I was tempted by the Middlemarch detour right up until I reached Mosgiel but I did want to see Baldwin Street and didn't fancy going back on myself. I'm REALLY glad I hadn't planned the trip for July now with the weather your northern neighbours have had last week. :(
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
I see you can't sleep Pete :whistle:

I liked the feel of Dunedin just driving through. I'd like to see more of the area around it though another time. I was tempted by the Middlemarch detour right up until I reached Mosgiel but I did want to see Baldwin Street and didn't fancy going back on myself. I'm REALLY glad I hadn't planned the trip for July now with the weather your northern neighbours have had last week. :(
Yep, poor buggers in Canterbury have certainly had a season worth forgetting.. I have lost count of rainfall for here, and missed out about 5 inches that they got.. :(
on a positive note, those lambs we shifted fetched $128 and owed me just under $70 (y) last 41 to the yards next Wednesday.

I thought you'd like Dunedin, driving through is just the right amount of time to spend in a city IMO. I like the "old" buildings and the hills, but glad not to live there especially in winter. They have a "coldest flat" competition, I kid you not!
July is not the best month to hit the roads, amazingly only one vehicle related callout for us, incredible considering the black ice we've had.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
I crossed the Ashburton River back into Ashburton
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then across the longest road bridge in New Zealand, The Rakia River, at 1.1 miles long
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When I stopped by the river to take the first photo I parked near a chap cutting tree trunks into logs and loading them into a big old pickup truck. He gave me a few odd looks so I went over and introduced myself. He explained that they had had folk leaving rubbish in that spot lately (foreigners :inpain:) and we got talking. After chatting for 45 minutes about everything from His time as a Marine, his experiences as a builder in Rakia, the state of NZ and UK politics, The UK terror attacks, The Grenfell Fire, excessive political correctness and how NZ should prevent it and where I might like to farm in NZ in future He offered me a bed for the night next time I'm in New Zealand :D. That's just so typical of the nature of rural New Zealand. After that I arrived back in Christchurch for dinner and sleep about an hour later.

The next day was my last in New Zealand so I spent some time walking around central Christchurch looking at the old cathedral (still shut up as dangerous after the 2011 earthquake) and the Botanic Gardens before driving back out to Banks Peninsular to try the gravel road I mentioned in the earlier posts. The whole experience was worth the time and I got some pretty good photos (post 45 on page 2) and video (post 212 on page 11) as well as these.
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Looking down from the gravel road to Akaroa
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Then it was back to Christchurch to clean the car to hand it back as it was so disgusting by then :confused: hand it back to Rent-a-Dent. They were pleased I dropped it before they closed at 6pm as it was booked out to a ski party for 9am the following morning and was now due a service :rolleyes:
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Then I waved goodbye to New Zealand :cry: and started the 31 hour flight home to @Mrs Holwell , Miss Holwell and the puppies :love::love::love::love::love: via Auckland and Singapore
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Landing back at heathrow the next day to see this beauty :cool:

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Huge thanks to all who accomodated me in New Zealand, to anyone who helped with suggestions for the trip, to all those in New Zealand who are not on TFF who made my stay so easy and memorable, to our friends who helped Mel with the crises that occured at home while I was away and , of course, to Mel, @Mrs Holwell , for encouragement and support above and beyond the call of duty that made the trip possible - Your turn next :love::love::love:
 

multi power

Member
Location
pembrokeshire
I crossed the Ashburton River back into Ashburton
View attachment 557198

then across the longest road bridge in New Zealand, The Rakia River, at 1.1 miles long
View attachment 557200 View attachment 557202

When I stopped by the river to take the first photo I parked near a chap cutting tree trunks into logs and loading them into a big old pickup truck. He gave me a few odd looks so I went over and introduced myself. He explained that they had had folk leaving rubbish in that spot lately (foreigners :inpain:) and we got talking. After chatting for 45 minutes about everything from His time as a Marine, his experiences as a builder in Rakia, the state of NZ and UK politics, The UK terror attacks, The Grenfell Fire, excessive political correctness and how NZ should prevent it and where I might like to farm in NZ in future He offered me a bed for the night next time I'm in New Zealand :D. That's just so typical of the nature of rural New Zealand. After that I arrived back in Christchurch for dinner and sleep about an hour later.

The next day was my last in New Zealand so I spent some time walking around central Christchurch looking at the old cathedral (still shut up as dangerous after the 2011 earthquake) and the Botanic Gardens before driving back out to Banks Peninsular to try the gravel road I mentioned in the earlier posts. The whole experience was worth the time and I got some pretty good photos (post 45 on page 2) and video (post 212 on page 11) as well as these.
View attachment 557212 View attachment 557214

Looking down from the gravel road to Akaroa View attachment 557222

Then it was back to Christchurch to clean the car to hand it back as it was so disgusting by then :confused: hand it back to Rent-a-Dent. They were pleased I dropped it before they closed at 6pm as it was booked out to a ski party for 9am the following morning and was now due a service :rolleyes:
View attachment 557228

Then I waved goodbye to New Zealand :cry: and started the 31 hour flight home to @Mrs Holwell , Miss Holwell and the puppies :love::love::love::love::love: via Auckland and Singapore
View attachment 557234

Landing back at heathrow the next day to see this beauty :cool:

View attachment 557236

Huge thanks to all who accomodated me in New Zealand, to anyone who helped with suggestions for the trip, to all those in New Zealand who are not on TFF who made my stay so easy and memorable, to our friends who helped Mel with the crises that occured at home while I was away and , of course, to Mel, @Mrs Holwell , for encouragement and support above and beyond the call of duty that made the trip possible - Your turn next :love::love::love:
Have they still got the big fish in rakaia by the side of the road ?
I have many happy memories of rakaia
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
The weather seems a bit better this weekend, back to frosty but sunny.
Nearly a disaster in Auckland last night though, temperatures "dived to 1.4 degrees Celsius":nailbiting:
Tekapo was -12 Friday night.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/95250738/aucklands-coldest-night-this-year-tekapos-subzero-24-hours
Hope @Mrs Holwell plans her trip for a more sensible time of year:)
You don't think your a wee bit hard on thoses poor cold Aucklanders?:rolleyes: Was a fresh -1c riding the CTX 200 at 5.00am this morning.:LOL:
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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