Tractors and Sheep All Day: The Selwyn Spring Show Has It All and More

Sheep Shearing Competition at the Selwyn Spring Show
Photos by Erin Grigson

The Band Perry sings, "Walk me down the middle of the county fair." The Selwyn Spring Show is as close as New Zealand gets to a fair.

Every October, the Selwyn District comes together to show off its best, well, everything.

This little lambie was so excited to have me pet him.
Photos by Erin Grigson

I've discussed previously that New Zealand is incredibly focused on agriculture. This show lets people from a handful of small towns that make up the district compete across multiple categories. So. many. categories.

Similar to a county fair, there was ice cream, rides, animals, and a talent show.

Unlike a fair, there were unique competitions for sheep shearing, wood chopping, highland dancing, and more.

And then there were the sheep. They. were. everywhere They were led about on leashes (leads here) like you would walk your dog.

The theme of the show this year was "Where Town Meets Country," so the artwork, baked goods, and Wearable Arts Show were all centered on that idea and many of the entries hit the nail on the head.



Highland dancing competitors
Photos by Erin Grigson

As soon as we got there, we saw the highland dancing. Actually, we heard it before we saw it. The bagpiper played the same song for every 3 dancers. But watching the girls dance and balance and turn was definitely a new experience. More on the bagpipes to come.
We got to the show early to see the sheep shearing. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Places all around where we live open their farms up to tourists and city folks so they can see what shearing is really like. I've been wanting to see this for myself, but I don't want to feel like a tourist or pay the money since we know some people here who have sheep.

The show seemed like a perfect way for me to experience the shearing without all the other stuff. And I could take as many pictures as I wanted.

We watched 2 different competitions, one team and one  shearers only. In teams, there's the shearer and a roustabout or "rousy." (The rousy can also be called a wool classer if they work more with the wool after the initial shearing.)

The shearers had to shear 2 sheep while the rousy separates the wool into different piles. Each pile can be used for different things. The rousy also helps keep the wool out of the shearer's way while shearing. The rousy is judged by the wool being in the correct pile. The shearer is judged by the lack of cuts on the sheep and the evenness of the shorn sheep. The team together is also timed.


In the Shearing team competition, the shearer cuts the wool and the rousy
clears and classes the wool.
Photos by Erin Grigson

The wood chopping went by
incredibly fast, but it was
definitely worth watching.
Photos by Erin Grigson

While I found the shearing interesting and I'm glad I saw it, once was enough.

From the shearing shed, we went to see the wood flying. And I'm glad we got there when we did. Wood chopping is so fast, if you blink you'll miss it.





But it was really impressive. For some of the axemen, it didn't even take a minute to chop through the log. I can't imagine how sharp the blades were to do that.
And surprisingly, it seemed like there was more of a science to it than I thought. The axemen chalked up the log after measuring it to get the most out of every swing. It seemed like only a few seconds before the logs were turned to wood chips.

Since the wood chopping went by quickly, we headed to the Wearable Arts Show.

In my previous post, Nothing to Do In Nelson?? Let Me Be Your Guide Part III, I talked about our trip to the WOW (World of Wearable Arts).

The Wearable Arts Show at the Selwyn Spring Show is a much smaller version of that.

Every single entry into the Wearable Arts Show was well-thought-out and matched the theme. The 3 categories that had entries were Juniors & Youth, Creative Scarecrow, and Wearable Art.

Photos by Erin Grigson

My favorite entry was something called (I think) "Country Traffic." It might have been "Country Traffic Stop," or "Country Traffic Jam." Either way, it was so fitting with traffic lights and a "Cattle Stop" sign, patchwork fields, with sheep and cars on the road.

"Country Traffic" entry in the Wearable Arts Show. It won its category.
Photos by Erin Grigson



David is the trumpet player on the left.
Photos by Erin Grigson

After the Wearable Arts Show, we grabbed lunch and enjoyed the end of the Selwyn's Got Talent Show while waiting to hear the Ellesmere Big Band.

Our friend David played trumpet in the band, so we got to see him perform. The band played various jazz songs, some with a vocalist, some without. At one point, 4-5 women from the band and the community came up and did some 4-part harmony with the ensemble.

Having finished our lunch, we walked through the flower, food and art exhibits.

There were the cakes that had high heels and gumboots. They had skyscrapers and fences. They had cars and farm animals. Needless to say, they were impressive.


Some of the cakes that were based on the
"Where Town Meets Country" theme.
Photos by Erin Grigson

My favorite cake was the 2-tiered cake with farm animals on top. So cute.

I also loved that the show gave schoolchildren an opportunity to exhibit their work. There were beehive mobiles and hot air balloon sculptures. There was 3D paper art and plate art. And more incrEDIBLE: food art.

And. more. sheep.
As we left the exhibits, I saw someone carrying a little lambie like a lapdog. It was wearing a fleece jacket and had a leash on. I desperately wanted to hold it, but didn't ask. However, the owner did let me get a photo of her holding her pet lamb.

So. adorable.

Since I didn't get to hold that lamb, we went over to the sheep pens and I got to love on one special lamb that baa'd at me over and over until I pet it.

On the left is the owner and the cute little pet lamb. Center shows just how many sheep there were. It seemed to never end.
On the right, is a sheep who was trying to escape.
Photos by Erin Grigson

I could have stayed there all day, but we wanted to get in place to watch the Grand Parade.




The Grand Parade was filled to the brim with bagpipes, people, animals, cars,
trucks, tractors, machinery and more.
Photos by Erin Grigson

On our way to the parade route, we walked by the pipe band and listened to them practicing for the parade, which they lead.While waiting for the parade to start, we saw the end of the horses' jumping competitions.

Finally, it was time to see the parade. All day, I had been hearing about the parade. But this is not your normal down-Main-Street Christmas Parade. This was the Selwyn Spring Show Grand Parade. It was... unique.

First, came the pipe band. Then, the animals. Then the cars and trucks and machinery and tractors. So many tractors. It's like what your normal parades have in fire trucks. But more. Way more. Apparently this year the parade was different because of a couple reasons.

First, there's usually quite a bit of cattle included in the animal part of the parade. However, New Zealand has been plagued this year with a disease that severely effects cattle, to the point that when they get it, they have to be killed to keep it from spreading.

So in an effort to keep the disease from spreading across more farms, there were no cattle involved at the show at all. That would have left a very large hole in the parade. However, this year is 100 years of John Deere, so they made up for the lack of cattle with loads of tractors. It worked alright, I guess.

And with the parade, the show day was over. It was definitely a new experience and I really did have fun.

On to the next adventure!

Walking on Beaches & Hiking Up Volcanoes is a Great Workout: Day 2 in Auckland

Day 2 in Auckland was very different than the first. The biggest difference? We had a car. No buses today.

 

Lava rock beaches in Devonport
Photo by Erin Grigson

4. Devonport

A small sandy beach with some lava rocks in Devonport
Photo by Erin Grigson

Next stop on our list was Devonport. I would describe it as a suburb of Auckland. We drove over the Harbour Bridge to get there, but you can also take the ferry. The day before, when we were going to Waiheke, the ferry made a stop in Devonport. If you're carless in Auckland, there are still plenty of options to get around. (You can take the bus, too.) Devonport is a 12-minute ferry ride or 15-20 minute car ride from downtown Auckland.

We parked and walked along the water. It reminded me a lot of walking in Charleston by the Battery. The biggest difference, though, was on the water's edge. While there is a stretch of sandy beach, after that, there's lava rocks on the shore. Josh and I walked down on those rocks and it was pretty cool, thinking that it was once molten lava.


Auckland Skyline past the lava beaches of Devonport
Photo by Erin Grigson

From Devonport, you have a gorgeous view of my new love, the Auckland Skyline.

Rangitoto Island from the top of Mount Victoria
Photo by Erin Grigson

5. Mount Victoria

After we finished walking around Devonport, we drove to the bottom edge of Mount Victoria.

The hike up to the top was only about 500 metres, but was at at least a 45 degree angle, if not steeper.

Takarunga (the Maori name for Mount Victoria) is one of the many dormant volcanoes all over Auckland. Its lava flow is what we had walked on in Devonport. Takarunga means "the hill standing above," which is perfect considering the breathtaking 360 degree views we had of Devonport, Auckland, Rangitoto Island and the other islands in the Hauraki Gulf.

Along with the incredible views, Mount Victoria also houses on army bunker and a signal station.

We stayed up there for a bit, just trying to soak up and capture the incredible view. Unfortunately, no photo will do that justice.



Auckland Skyline from the top of Mount Victoria
Photo by Erin Grigson

Rangitoto Island from Takapuna Beach
(I always felt like we had a view of Rangitoto and
I definitely wasn't complaining.)
Photo by Erin Grigson

6. Takapuna Beach

Matt and his family were at a playground in Takapuna, so we headed that direction to grab lunch.

Compared to Onetangi Beach the day before, this beach was packed. But it was still an early Spring day, so most people were walking along the sand, not laying out.

It seemed like almost everyone but us had their dog with them, but they were so cute. After lunch, Josh and I walked up the beach to this really great rock wall. The whole beach had a view of Rangitoto Island, which is a scenic reserve, so you're basically staring at paradise.

(Rangitoto Island was on my list, we just didn't have time to go. I guess we'll have to go back to Auckland!)

Sails galore from Takapuna Beach
Photo by Erin Grigson

Cool rock wall at the end of Takapuna Beach made for some fun framing opportunities around the distant Rangitoto
Photo by Erin Grigson

How did I end up with a guy who looks like a model, but won't let me take photos of him??
That just means I have to sneak and do it.
Photo by Erin Grigson

7. Mission Bay

Beach view of Mission Bay, once again looking out on Rangitoto
Photo by Erin Grigson

Since we had the car, we were trying to cover all the farther away places outside of town. We headed to Mission Bay, which meant a drive back across the Harbour Bridge, past downtown and around the bay.



The "City of Sails" was never a more perfect name than the
Saturday we were there.
Photo by Erin Grigson

Here it was apparent why Auckland is called the "City of Sails." It was a busy Saturday out on the water. I saw so many sails in all sorts of colors: red, yellow, pink, purple, blue, you name it.

On Mission Bay's beach, you once again had a beautiful view of Rangitoto along with the rainbow of sails going by. This beach was not quite as crowded as Takapuna, but still busy. Some people were actually swimming, which is crazy in this still chilly weather.

According to Josh, in summer, Mission Bay is where you go for the beach and then to grab some fish'n'chips.

There was a large grassy park separating the beach from the commercial street full of shops. That reminded me of Waterfront Park in Beaufort.

I loved all the different colors of the sails.
Photo by Erin Grigson

That red sail was making me a bit nervous for the sunny yellow-sailed boat... Just saying just because you don't hear about pirates in Auckland doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
Photo by Erin Grigson

There was lots within walking distance. I can definitely see Mission Bay as a good place to take a large group of people because there's bound to be something for everyone.

8. Cornwall Park

Caption this in the comments!
Photo by Erin Grigson

Cornwall Park is this huge park close to downtown Auckland (and really close to Matt's house). It's also where you can find One Tree Hill, but we'll get to that in a minute.

All throughout the park, which is about 670 acres, you can see sheep, some roaming free.

We walked through a large amount of the park, which is so full of life with the sheep, large sections of green farmland, and huge, old trees.

I definitely got up close, but not too personal with some sheep since they're very shy, scared animals. But those lambs are so darn cute!

Sheep are everywhere in New Zealand, but they were REALLY everywhere at Cornwall Park:
in fences, roaming free, climbing the volcano cliffs, etc.
Photos by Erin Grigson

9. One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill (now technically 9-tree hill)
Photo by Erin Grigson

One Tree Hill on a gloomy day
Photo by Erin Grigson

Maungakiekie, better known as One Tree Hill, is one of the most well-known landmarks in Auckland. As I've said a few times, the city is made up of multiple dormant volcanoes and One Tree Hill is the peak of one of them. Also, it's more than 28,500 years old.

Both ironically and unfortunately, the "One Tree" is no longer there. It was removed after multiple attacks were made against it in protest. However, in 2016, 9 young, native trees were planted in its place. (They are currently guarded by a metal fence to give them a chance to grow.)

At the top of the summit, which seemed to take forever to reach (probably because the climb wasn't as steep as some of the others we've done), stands a really large monument. The obelisk was erected at the behest of Sir John Logan Campbell Kt who, according to the monument "VISUALISED AND DESIRED THAT A TOWERING OBELISK SHOULD BE ERECTED ON THIS SITE, THE SUMMIT OF MAUNGAKIEKIE, AS A PERMANENT RECORD OF HIS ADMIRATION FOR THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHARACTER OF THE GREAT MAORI PEOPLE."

Sir John is buried at the foot of the monument.

The other side of the monument reads: "THE FIRST MAORI PEOPLE TO VISIT THESE SHORES WAS KUPE, A POLYNESIAN NAVIGATOR, IN THE YEAR 925. THE FIRST SETTLEMENT UNDER TOI TOOK PLACE IN 1150. THE FIRST ORGANIZED EMIGRATION FROM HAWAIKI TOOK PLACE IN 1350 WHEN THE ANCESTORS OF THE PRESENT MAORI RACE ARRIVED AT VARIOUS POINTS ON THESE COASTS IN THE NOW HISTORIC CANOES TAINUI, ARAWA, MATA-ATUA, AOTEA, TAKITUMU, HOROUTA, TOKOMARU, AND OTHERS. IN 1840, THE TREATY OF WAITANGI WAS SIGNED WHEREBY THE MAORIS ACCEPTED THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE BRITISH CROWN AND WERE THEREBY SECURED IN ALL THEIR RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES AS BRITISH SUBJECTS."

The other two sides are the above two messages translated into Maori.

Like most of the hikes we took on this trip, it was absolutely worth the trek. There were gorgeous views of Auckland in every direction.

After that "walk," we were done with sightseeing for the day. We headed back to Matt's house for the night.

Some people apparently use One Tree Hill as a creative place to propose.
This photo was taken in one of the craters next to the monument. There were 2 proposals written there when we visited.
(The two people down there were just making their own mark.)
Photos by Erin Grigson

Total steps after today: 19,502.

Stay tuned for Day 3, our final adventures in Auckland this trip.

How Many Sheep Does it Take to Raise a Kiwi?

Would Carrie Underwood sing that you live in, "a single stoplight town," or can you get "anything you want here except a WalMart store"?

New Zealand is 268,021 square kilometres or
103,483 square miles and has a approximate
population of 4.6 million people*.

In Kentucky in 2015, 4.4 million people were residents. South Carolina had almost 4.9 million*.

In 2015, the population of New Zealand was almost 4.6 million. To put this into perspective, the population of New York City that same year was roughly 8.5 million*.

I really want to explain this because New Zealand is a country and in terms of land size it's only 2.5 times the size of Kentucky and a little over 3 times the size of South Carolina.

It's crazy to think that Kentucky and South Carolina squeeze so many people in so little an area. But then I think about the landscape here and how beautiful and spread out it is and it makes more sense.

When I told people I was moving here, the "fun fact" most of them knew was that there are more sheep than people. That's still true. And driving through the country, it's obvious.




4 out of 5 sheep posing for me is not baaaa'd at all.
(The one on the far left wasn't quite looking right at me.)
Photo by Erin Grigson

But I doubt that most of those people knew the actual number of sheep there are: in 2015, there were more than 29 million sheep in New Zealand. That's a little more than 6 sheep per person. Even more surprising is the historical high. In 1982, there were 70 million sheep or 22 per person that year.

Now back to the people.

The most populated cities in New Zealand are Auckland, Wellington (the capital), and Christchurch.

Let's talk about city size based on population. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand with a population of 1.57 million*. That's more than a quarter of the nation's people in one city. That's also where Josh's brother and his family live. Christchurch, the closest big city to where I live, is the third largest city in the nation with a population of 367,800*. Savannah, Georgia had less than half that with 146,091*, but Lexington, Kentucky was much closer to CHC with 314,767 people*.

It's kindof funny to think that after Christchurch, most people wouldn't describe urban areas as big cities. They might call them towns, villages, or boroughs.

Cities refer to main urban areas with a population of 30,000 or more. Christchurch obviously falls into this category.

After that, there are "secondary urban areas" which are described as places with 10,000 to 29,999 people. Rolleston is our closest "secondary urban area," with roughly 14,000* people. Josh's sister lives there.

"Minor urban areas" are towns with 1,000 to 9,999 people and there about 100 of those according to Statistics New Zealand. Darfield, where Josh and I live, is one of them. With a population of approximately 3,000* people, Darfield is small, but not tiny. Leeston, where Josh's parents live, is similar, with a population of about 1,850*.

Kentucky is 104,659 square kilometres or
40,409 square miles and has an approximate
population of 4.4 million people*.

After "minor urban areas," there are rural centres or rural settlements that others might call villages. Kirwee, which is just up the road, is definitely a village. It's one of those places that, if you blink, you'll miss it.

I've never thought about the population when thinking about if a city is a big city or a town.

I've always thought about it by what you go there for.

Here are a couple examples.

In Kentucky: Paris used to be smaller, before it got a WalMart Supercenter. Because of that, we used to have to go to Lexington or, on occasion, Georgetown, to get many things. However, once we got the big WalMart, we didn't have to go as far and other stores came, too. But more specifically, people from other places started coming to Paris to get things. In this example, Lexington was obviously the big city, Paris was a town that became a small city and then Millersburg would be a small town.

South Carolina is 82,931 square kilometres or
32,020 square miles and an approximate
population of 4.9 million people*.

In South Carolina: I'd definitely consider Beaufort a small city because you can definitely buy lots there. Savannah would be the closest big city even though Bluffton and Hilton Head are bigger than Beaufort. However, I think everyone will agree that St. Helena would be a town and then Fripp Island would be like a village.

But some people may describe these places, not by population, but by the number of stoplights there are.

If that's the case, it's more of a question of "Are there any stoplights?" here.

Christchurch and Rolleston both have stoplights, obviously, because they are fairly busy and metropolitan areas. But Darfield doesn't have any stoplights.

Paris, with a population of around 10,000* people, has at least 20 stoplights (counting up by memory). To compare it to Darfield, which based on Statistics New Zealand, would fall into the same category as a "minor urban area," is intriguing. But it also speaks to the very different infrastructures in America and New Zealand.

There've been lots of numbers in this post and it might have been boring to some. But when I talk about where I live, I want people to understand what I mean and the numbers put it into perspective.

How would you describe where you live? Is it more Paris, France or Paris, Kentucky? Let me know!

*All information is based off of numbers from 2015. I wanted it to be consistent and that year, there was information for all cities and countries involved.*