A buzz in Invercargill and the Worlds Fastest Indian

Waipu from the Air

Earlier this year, Lyn and I managed another annual quick trip away and returned once again to the South Island and in particular, Invercargill, where we had a couple of items on our "Bucket List" to tick off. As we can only be absent between print editions of our publication, it means we have often have to return to a venue to settle unfinished business.

We had a difficult flight down, as there had been delays in other districts owing to fog and we were late getting away from Whangarei. It was rather galling to sit atChristchurch airport for 2 1/2 hours, looking out on our original flight which was parked on the runway. They couldn't get us aboard, as it would have muckedup other arrangements, so we arrived in Invercargill late afternoon. We had booked at the Tayester Motor Inn and after checking in, we grabbed a couple of delightful, prepacked roast dinners from a supermarket,that had been discounted owing to the apparently overstocked delicatessen. We were quite hungry and the meal was eaten without further ado! As we were preparing to wash our dishes we suddenly heard a loud buzzing noise coming from the bathroom, so we rushed in to see what was happening. My electric toothbrush was buzzing merrily away on the vanity and no amount of switching it off made one iota of difference. I banged it, squeezed it, threatened it, but to no avail. Then suddenly it stopped! I placed it back in it's charger and left it charging. 5 minutes later it started buzzing again and then it fell on the floor and was pulsating around all over the place like a demented robot. 2 minutes later I had it under control and put it back on charge but it suddenly started buzzing twice more before it suddenly stopped and it has been ok ever since! Must have been the weather, (BTW. If you stay at the Tayester, Unit 7 has the lazy boy chair!)

Queens Garden Invercargill

There are some lovely scenic spots in Invercargill and the next day saw us leave theMotel early (mainly to collect some fresh Bluff oysters from the wholesaler) and we visited a number of popular tourist spots including the Queens Gardens and the Museum. The Autumn colours were delightful and while the air was cool,it was a very pleasant morning. I know that the fairy story about kissing frogs to find your true love is a well known fable, so I wondered why Lyn thought that a Tuatara might be the modern way to achieve this status, but obviously it didn't work!

The King Family Grave. St Johns Cemetery

A"Bucket List" item that was a South island "must do" involved searching local graveyards for my Paternal relatives who had emigrated from Kent in the 1880s. Obed King arrived on the William Davies and there is an item about him in the book "The Furtherest Promised Land" by Rollo Arnold. He purchased 200 acres in Beach Rd Invercargill and began farming there and I have a photo taken from the 1903 NZ Omnibus with him standing next to his wife Eliza and looking very grand. I believe they had to pay to have their photo in this very large book. His wife and daughter are buried with him in the same plot in the St Johns Church cemetery and unfortunately the headstone has been badly damaged. His daughter is also buried under her Maiden name Mercy King aged 69 years, so we guess there is a story yet to be told about her life. I have more details on these Kentish Immigrants on my old 1990s genealogy website(which I am trying to update) HERE

The Fastest Indian bike

Another highlight was visiting the Invercargill Museum, which was quite small but is famous for showing the bikes of Bert Munro renowned for setting an under-1,000 cc world record, at Bonneville in the USA, 26 August 1967 . The Movie "The Worlds Fastest Indian" featuring Anthony Hopkins gave a good outline of what he achieved, but you have to see the bike to get some idea of what an amazing feat it was. We also visited Oreti beach where he used to practice and I have reminisced in the past about how cold I was on Oreti beach as a child. When we got there, it was 18c, the same as in Whangarei!

(I will post more photos of our trip later)

A recovering Pirate and cut grass

Tall grass indeed.

This grass is ready to bale!

Woopee! Yesterday we had the grass cut and hopefully it will be baled later today and transported to it's new owner. The contractor arrived and although his gear was large, we managed to get it through the gates. I can't believe how thick the grass was and it will be interesting to see how many bales we get off the farm.Silage making has become quite an art in recent years and as we couldn't make convential bales owing to the cooler weather, this has been a new experience for us. The hardest part has been tring to find enough space to leave for the 11 heifers, who although still small, can consume quite a bit of grass in a day. Setting up a portable water trough is also difficult, but thanks to the bathroom renovation last year, we have a good size, c1947 bath, complete with plug, that suits the purpose. Lyn and can manhandle it on the tractor and we can fill it from a number of taps around the property.

A tight squeeze

Our "Pirate"

#43 AKA The Pirate has recovered well  and her wounds are healing nicely. Her eye socket has sunken, but she is adapting well and looks healthy and we don't appear to have any more symptoms of "pink eye" in any of the other animals.Thank goodness!

          

Now that Spring is nearly finished  and we head into    Summer, the blossoms are nearly finished and the fruit is all set to grow and ripen in the sun.We are still enduring very strong winds and some showers, but the outlook for Northern New Zealand is for a return to quite dry conditions and much calmer weather. let's hope so!

Our flowering cherry.

Duck Tales and Gates Galore

We have enjoyed watching a family of Paradise ducks who have been living on our dam during the Spring. Mum & Dad are regulars and have been living here for a number of years and although they are usually quite wary if we get too close, they will let you drive past on the tractor without too much drama. This year they had 8 ducklings and they seem to have all survived until now, unlike the poor old Mallard ducks who are continually harassed by the resident "Darth Vader" a large Hawk who also resides close by. The Hawk swoops down on the little ducklings and seems to ignore the racket that the adult birds make when in any danger.

Beware, Ducks on the move!

The Paradise ducks are quite large and they make a huge noise if they are in danger and they are extremely protective of their ducklings throughout their family life. The poor old Mallards also have to contend with eels and other dangerous critters such as rats and possums and even Pukekos, who terrorise these birds any chance they get. I have seen adult Pukekos grab a duckling and rip it apart in a very short space of time. The Hawks also love pukeko chicks, so the dam can be quite a dangerous place for little birds. The ducks might have up to 10 ducklings and yet after a week, there might only be two left and sometimes none. Once I was watching the little "speed boats" zipping around the dam, when all of a sudden there was a splash and the duckling just disappeared under the water. One hungry eel was probably the reason. A Maori chap used to have a licence to catch the eels in our river, but I haven't seen him for a few years.

The Duck Water Trough

Now that we have had the Contractor in to do some grading and filling holes in the driveway etc, we asked if he could fill in front of the concrete cattle water troughs, where the cattle over the years have pugged out the area and made it difficult for calves to get water easily. He did a great job and the new herd enjoy climbing the new gravel slope and drinking water without any height problems. The Ducks enjoy the new facility too! Once they have finished lazing around the dam all day, they head for their night quarters (an old hay barn) and after a rest in the orchard on the way home, they now head straight for the trough. Mum or Dad take turns to watch over them and it is hilarious watching the ducklings line the trough edge and merrily drink away. 

Talk about mod cons!

Our new head bail

The proposed renovation of the kitchen has taken a step backward as we have had another local fencing contractor in to install our new cattle race and head bail in the yards. The recent drama with the heifers and their eye injections became quite a trial and we decided to install these extras to make it easier in the future when handling cattle of any size. It is all finished now, has been christened and will add value to our homestead.

Kelly "Our Vet"