Traveling with Ray Owens

The days just keep getting better and better. This morning Frank, Jeanette, Penny and I had the grand experience of riding through the beautiful farmland of the southern island of New Zealand to arrive at a lovely sheep farm that was built in the 1880s. Mary, the farmer’s wife, greeted us. We were given a demonstration of how the sheep dogs are trained and how they work the sheep. It was amazing.

Then we were shown how to sheer a sheep. The sheep getting a haircut was less than a year old and it was the first time it had been shorn. The first wool is very soft and is typically used to make baby clothing.

We also learned that there is a proper way to hold a sheep so that they will cooperate. The trick is to grab them by the legs and set them down on their rump. Then one front leg is held between the legs of the person doing the sheering. If you were to put them on their side or their back they would kick and wiggle.

We were then treated to fresh apple cider and cake that Mary made.

The ride back was just as beautiful as going out. We had lunch on the ship and then Frank and I took the shuttle bus into Christchurch. The road took us through a long tunnel that made the trip from the port to the city much quicker. In 2011 this area of New Zealand had a severe earthquake that damaged many stone and masonry buildings but the tunnel was virtually unharmed.

In town Frank and I explored the area. There was a huge crowd gathered around the bridge of remembrance watching a street performer. He was eating fire and telling jokes.

We walked several blocks to the Christchurch botanical gardens. It was so very delightful. As you walk just a small distance into the large garden the sights and sounds of the city just faded away.

The flowers and trees were from many places. There was a large section dedicated to the flora of New Zealand. Today was Sunday and there was a concert going on in one area of the garden. They were playing great music from the 1960s.

We made our way back to where the shuttle bus was to pick us up and we encountered the area where the street performer was different. This guy was a contortionist. He was squeezing himself through a tennis racket. (The strings had been removed. )

We then returned to the ship and played cards and ate barbecue.

Another great day.