David Ruckman's new zealand adventure
April 2011 Update
July 2011 Update
In 2007, McFarland's Llama Farm, the place of a large portion of my upbringing, was part of the first direct importation of llamas from the United States to New Zealand. While visiting our farm and looking at our llamas, Anne Thompson and Robyn Robinson planted an idea in my head. They invited me to come to their country for a few weeks. As a 16 year old, home-schooled llama farmer, the idea intrigued me. In the three years of research and planning the idea of visiting several farms for a few weeks slowly evolved into traveling the New Zealand countryside for an entire year. Shortly after my high school graduation party and my 19th birthday, with my bags packed and my plane tickets purchased, I began my trip.
I would love to regale you with beautiful descriptions of my first setting foot in New Zealand... but I can't. I arrived in Christchurch at 11:30pm, it was cold and rainy, and this simply wouldn't do justice to the breathtaking, awe-inspiring land which is New Zealand. What would serve my purpose far better, not to mention do the countryside justice, is to begin my story about a week into my journey. Not only was the weather much improved, but I had time to process a lot of the changes in my life. Since I arrived in late September, I have had the chance to stay on three farms, see breathtaking vistas, and attend a Pack Llama Trial Clinic, among other things.
In the few months that I have been on the south island of New Zealand I have visited several farms, as well as having seen parts of Canterbury, Otago, and Southland. I have visited the Rakaia Gorge, journeyed into the Port Hills, walked through both Christchurch and Dunedin, and hiked in what may be my favorite place in New Zealand to date, Fiordland National Park.
The first place I had the pleasure of staying at was Watford Grange, the largest llama farm in New Zealand; it is situated in the Canterbury plains. The setting is of the most wondrous kind. Being spring, everywhere you looked was filled with lush, green pastures. Sheep contentedly grazed, cattle roamed the fields. To the east the Port-hills, with her rocky crags, raised up out from the sea. Opposite of them are majestic, snow capped mountains which dominated the horizon. In addition to breeding llamas, Anne Thompson runs Watford Grange as a business giving farm tours to groups and offering an on-site gift shop.
While I was staying at Watford Grange I visited the Rakaia Gorge; it was absolutely stunning. The water coursing past the base of the exposed gravel cliffs. Roads weaving their way to and fro through the area and over the river. Farms peppering the hillside. Mountains overlooking it all. I had the pleasure of being shown the area by a local family, whom I met at church. They knew the land well and certainly showed it to its best advantage.
Later on I went on a walkabout in the Port Hills and it was entirely spontaneous. I was dropped in downtown Christchurch one morning so I could explore. After walking around for a few hours I picked a point in the horizon and decided to start off in that direction. At the end of the day I had walked 35km. The views were worth every bit of the effort I put into my travel. Standing on Mount Vernon, quite ironic since I was raised in Mount Vernon, Ohio, I was given a bird's eye view of both the Lyttleton harbor and the city of Christchurch.
The second farm I have stayed at, Windermere, is in the rolling hills of Otago, south of Dunedin. Almost as far as the eye can see is farm land. Along with raising livestock, local farmers grow trees, primarily pines. On occasion, a helicopter will fly through the air on its way to dust a field. The McLeans, owners of Windermere, have both llamas and alpacas, and are involved in the show ring and are in the process of beginning a llama trekking business. It was great having the chance to work with both llamas and alpacas during my time at their farm.
After my time on those two farms I ventured out on my own into the great city of Invercargill. Instead of giving you every detail which lead to this event I will simply say that shortly after I arrived in the city I was called back to the small town of Balclutha, not far from the McLean's farm, in order to pick up two bags which had been left behind in my travels. Since I didn't have a car at this point I took the bus. While I was waiting for the bus to arrive I, as is my custom, started to talk to some of the people around me. One lady I spoke with was dropping off a girl who had been volunteering on her family's sheep farm for several weeks. She, after hearing some of my plans in New Zealand, said that I would be more than welcome to come, stay, and work at their farm. It was six great weeks later I finally decided it was time to carry on in my travels.
Before I tell you about my time there I need to tell you of a happening on the bus ride back from Balclutha. Just before all the passengers had exited the bus I heard two people a few rows in front of me talking to each other. I didn't know them from Adam, but something stuck in my mind. I couldn't even hear most of what they were saying, but something sounded familiar. Their accent caught my attention. As we were walking off of the bus I piped up and asked where they were from. They were from America. We got to talking more and I came to find out that one of them was originally from Alaska while the other was from... drum roll please... Hilliard, Ohio. The long and short of it is that we hit it off and I ended up backpacking with them for three days on Stewart Island.
After I returned from the island I contacted the family who's farm I was invited to at the bus stop. Ron and Gay Munro, relations to Burt Munro from the World's Fastest Indian, have a 1,500 head sheep farm and plenty of work for an able bodied volunteer such as myself. I helped plant trees, laid drainage pipes, dug post holes, tilled up fields, and sheared sheep just to name a few. I was amazed at the raw efficiency that this farm, and the other sheep farms I have visited, operate with. One morning I was working on a neighboring sheep farm and we weaned 2,000 lambs, sorted 1,500 ewes, and penned 300 animals to be sold. All of this took about 3 hours.
Most of the farms I have seen, including the three I have stayed at, effectively use raceways or long alleys in their farm design. Instead of each paddock having a catch-pen, where the animals are handled or caught and then moved around the farm, the raceways allow farmers to herd animals out of one field, down the alley, and into any other part of the farm. This, alongside with other practices, helps dramatically reduce the amount of work required to operate a farm and increases efficiency.
Because of the enormous amount of grass available, animals are fed almost entirely on pasture. Grain is used as a treat or for packing trips instead of a large dietary component allowing animal upkeep costs to be kept at a minimum. Minerals are made available to animals dependent upon geographical and dietary need. Thanks to their natural resources and the ingenuity of their farmers New Zealand is a tremendous agricultural producer.
After my time on the Munro's farm I took my recently acquired car and drove to Tuatapere to meet friends of the family. While I was there I decided to explore some of the countryside. The town of Tuatapere is a stones throw away from the Fiordland National Park. Being the adventurous type, I thought it a good idea to see a near by lake and hike the Humpridge Track; it turned out to be a fantastic idea. One of the Fiordland's most distinctive features is its lush, dense vegetation. Most every square foot is covered with ferns, moss, trees, shrubs, and every other kind of plant imaginable. When you are following a track under the tree cover it is hard to distinguish right from left, let alone north from south. As soon as you can scamper onto a peak, ridge, or an otherwise barren point the entire landscape unfolds before you. Forests covered mountains stretch as far as the eye can see. Lakes occasionally peppering the view. From atop a mountain you can see the ocean wrapping itself along southern beaches and beating against western cliffs.
On the 2nd and 3rd of October I attended a Pack Llama Trial & Clinic, taught by Robin and Nancy Hester alongside with Bob and Vivian Fulton in Ashburton, New Zealand. We learned about the intricacies of packing. They taught about selecting a llama, preparing for a trip, placement of pack equipment and how to balance the load, as well as safety and good hiking practices. Packing with llamas is a great way to see the natural beauty in your surrounding area.
Pack trials are an excellent way to train llamas, be it for long treks or to be more cooperative, trusting animals. It also helps people understand many things about llamas. It gives you a new appreciation for a llama's structure, helping you know where they can carry the most weight with the least amount of effort. It gives you a unique view into a llama's personality. On a hike you quickly learn if an animals is a leader or a follower; endurance runner or sprinter; you even learn their willingness to work and their desire to please people. I would highly recommend you take time out of your schedule to hike with a llama, see the local scenery, and get to know these wonderful animals.
Since I have been in New Zealand, seen stunning natural beauty, and worked with wonderful animals, I have been given a new appreciation for the important things in life. It is so easy to get wrapped up in daily activities, the next show on the calendar, the next time herd health needs done. I have learned to stop, take a breath, and smell the roses. I encourage you to take time out of your day, enjoy the world, and spend some time with the llamas around you.
As for me, I am going to be on the road for the next few weeks. I will be working my way from the southern tip of the South Island to the city of Nelson at the northern end. All of the things which lay in my future are a constant source for excitement for me. There will surely be exciting stories to be shared in the upcoming months. Judging from the look of things I will be bungee jumping and skydiving before I end my road trip. There are plenty of things to do, sights to see, people to meet, and llamas to visit in the forthcoming months. I am looking forward to everyone of them.
David Ruckman's New Zealand adventure has brought him to the town of Nelson, which is in the northern part of the South Island. He is currently living with a wonderful family and working on an orchard as a Crew Manager/Heavy Duty Equipment Operator. He is loving this short term position. It has been a great experience meeting and working with people from all over the world. The Nelson area has quickly become his favorite NZ spot.
New Zealand is well into its "fall" season and David is deciding where to go once all of the fruit has been harvested. His best guess is that he will begin his tour of the North Island. During his travels, he will be seeking opportunities to visit and work with more camelids. The llama show that he was scheduled to judge in Christchurch was cancelled because of the recent earthquake. To the best of his knowledge, all of our llama/alpaca friends and their animals were uninjured during the March quake. Be sure to watch for updates in every TopLine until he returns safely to Ohio!
Hello and greetings to all of my llama friends and family.
It is hard to believe that it is approaching a year since I left the fair state of Ohio, but that is a realization I can’t escape when I look at a calendar. In the last issue of Topline you read of my being in Nelson; so much has happened since that time. Leaving Nelson a month ago marked the start of my travels to the North Island. Once I got off of the ferry in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand and the North Island’s most southern tip, my tour started to weave its way through over half of the Island. My journey has progressed as follows: from Wellington I drove to Hastings, which is in Hawke’s Bay on the east coast; from Hastings to Taupo, the namesake of New Zealand’s largest lake; from Taupo back to the east coast, this time Tokomaru Bay, which north of Hawke’s bay; from Tokomaru Bay around the coast to Tauranga, which is in the Bay of Plenty, north of Taupo; from Tauranga up to the Bay of Islands, which is one of the most stunning places I have seen on the North Island. Now I sit, writing this letter, in Kerikeri at Rangemore Llama Farm. My trip has brought me many miles, or kilometers, as distance is measured over here, through lands which can only be called beautiful. Despite the natural wonders that I have seen since coming to New Zealand, the things which I cherish most are the people that I have met and the friends which I have made. Be they from the city or the country, be they raising llamas and sheep, or apples and kiwi fruit, it is the people that have truly taken my heart. Before you think that I am a goner and there is no way to keep me from moving back to New Zealand, know that during my time abroad the things I have missed the most are the friends and family I left behind. As time continues to pass and I travel back down south, this time through the west coast on my way back to Wellington, I will be soaking in as many wonderful sights as I can with excitement and anticipation so I can share them with you upon my return.
Thank you for all that you have done and who you have been over the years. I look forward to seeing everyone at the December ORVLA meeting.
Sincerely,
David Ruckman
