Oh, Dairy!

Here's a view of just one of the many dairy farms we've seen as we've driven through the country side. I'm just amazed by the green grass and bright blue sky...it looks too good to be true!

Our first farm visit in New Zealand was to Leo Donker's dairy farm. We were greeted by a kind welcome from Terry, who manages the 1,000+ herd with a total of six employees. They graze all of their cows on paddocks (known as pastures to those of us from the U.S.), rotating them every 21-24 days. This time frame is set based on the amount of time necessary for the grass to reach an ideal level of nutrients without losing quality.

I've never seen such green grass in pastures, but it's largely due to the irrigation systems on their farms. That's a whole new blog post I'll try to write soon!

Here's a snapshot from our view of the rotary (or carousel) style milking parlor on their farm.
With this setup, they can milk 50 cows at a time. While some New Zealand dairies only milk once a day, the cows on this farm visit the milking parlor every morning and night.

New Zealand exports about 94% of their milk to be used in processed goods, such as cheese, butter, yogurt, and more. Because they aren't selling their milk for drinking purposes, they're concerned with the amount of solids produced by their cows. That means they're more interested in high butterfat content, noting that high volume is a waste in their eyes.

To get high solids (a.k.a. butterfat) they raise medium sized breeds of cows. In contrast, most producers in the U.S. raise large framed cows to reach higher volume because the milk check is based on liquid produced rather than the percentage of solids.

Now we know why New Zealand loves their ice cream so much! And we sure aren't complaining!

G'day mate!
Whitney

Splishin' and Splashin' at the Beach!

We liked Sumner Beach so much several of us decided to take another trip back their on our own during our free day! It's nice to have a good balance of education and recreation built into our schedule.

Here's the result of our creative minds at work at the beach (we have a lot of CAFNR spirit!)

The beach was pretty busy with local residents since it was New Year's day when we were there. Here's a look at the families enjoying quality time together on the shore.

In between swims, we even took a stroll to a little antique shop just up from the beach. It's fun to take in all the local culture, while we're here!

G'day mate!

Whitney

White Water Wonderland

We spent the morning white water rafting, and I'm going to try my hardest to explain just how awesome it really was.

My favorite part of the trip was the variety in scenery. I cannot explain to you the mountains with rainbows, rapidly moving water and cliffs. It honestly looked as if someone came along and painted a backdrop of the most beautiful landscapes.

Layers of clothes went into this trip. Wetsuits, windbreakers, lifejackets, helmets and more... I can't say it was the most comfortable outfit, but it did keep me warmer than I expected.

Our guides were a lot of fun. Very laid back and funny, but good at what they did. I felt confident in leaving my life in their hands!

We started out with a Grade 2 "rapid" (Grade 5 is the highest). The river was actually way up last night and this morning, so we had to start further down the river to avoid any higher grade, possibly dangerous water.  

Two hours and 15 km (9.375 miles) later, we ended back at the lodge for a lunch and a slideshow of our adventures.

This trip has been my favorite adventure so far... This extreme sport makes me exciting for bungy jumping and skydiving. But that's another adventure for another day.

Box of Birds,

Kaity

Welcome to Sumner Beach

As if the view from Lyttelton wasn't already exciting, our second stop on our trip was at Sumner beach. This quaint little town is settled right on the South Pacific, which as you can see is quite attractive.


As we've learned, New Zealand weather is comparable to Missouri weather in that it can change quickly. It was in the 60s for this day, so most of us chose to enjoy the beach without getting all the way in the water. As Kaity explained, many of us spent our free day on the beach. We promise pictures soon!

Words and pictures hardly do justice for the amazing scenery on this island. Sure looks different than that snow and ice I'm hearing about from folks back home! We'll have even more to share when we get back from white water rafting!!

G'day mate!
Whitney

Visit to Lyttelton Harbor

Here's a look at Lyttelton Harbor, known as the Port of Christchurch. I think you'll agree it's quite pretty! But why does it matter? One word: EXPORTS!

We've learned from our lectures that New Zealand is quite reliant on the export market. One of the most interesting facts, I thought, is that 94% of the milk produced in this country is exported for dairy products around the world. With 1,300 ships entering this harbor each year, it is definitely important to trade in New Zealand.

But since I brought up the dairy topic, I thought you might like knowing we're set to visit a dairy farm. Promise to have more info about New Zealand dairies when we get back!

G'day mate!
Whitney

No Worries

So, last night I locked myself out of my dorm room for the second time. Very frustrated by this time, I walked to get the security guard, and as we walked back to my dorm, he managed to put this country in perspective very quickly. 

He said he was originally from Australia, and I asked him which he liked better: New Zealand or Australia. He said that was easy: New Zealand. He said it was less stressful. When I asked him how so, he asked if it was stressful in America, with a lot of traffic always worried about how things will get done. He said it's not like that here. There's no stress.

And that's just it. People still work and get things done here, live a good, honest life. But they just aren't as stressed in their every day lives like we often become. It's a good perspective to remember, honestly. No stress, no worries.

No worries,

Kaity

Starting 2010 with a Bang!

Here's our view of the fireworks that lit up the sky in Cathedral Square on New Year's. You can sort of see the large metal sculpture toward the bottom of the photo (as seen in previous post). We know our friends and family are celebrating 2010 now. It's been said a lot, but Happy New Year's from all of us in New Zealand!

G'day mate!

Whitney