Greetings from New Zealand! This week the Hongi group has had the privilege of staying and working as WWOOFers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) at Ruaway farm, owned and run by our hosts Claire, David, Craig, and Mike Carey. Ruaway Farm not only has some of the most breathtaking scenery in New Zealand but it also is one of the four largest organic dairy farms in the country.
This week we’ve all had tons of fun and learned a lot about agriculture and animals. We’ve had the chance to work alongside two other workers, Nick from Germany and Mei from Malaysia which has been great. Each day, two members of our group had a 5 AM wakeup call to milk the 450 cows on the farm which was AWESOME and also manure-filled.
The first work day on the farm we helped with the maintenance work – some fencing and chopping firewood with axes and chainsaws! That really brought the lumberjack out of a lot of us. We also had some free time which gave many of us the opportunity to explore the rolling hills and breathtaking landscape on the 2400 acres of farmland.
The following day Mike led all of us on a hike around the farm to herd the sheep. After lunch we all had the chance to shear a few of the sheep with thick coats which was an incredible experience. The task was more difficult than we had imagined, but shearing the sheep was definitely rewarding and the experience gave us the opportunity to bond with the animals as well. After all that work with the sheep, the group observed the slaughter of a lamb which was difficult and painful to see for some of us but it was also eye-opening and gave many of us a new sense of closeness to our food. We finished the night with a trip to Mangapohue Bridge to see some glow worms which were wonderful – the worms looked like constellations on the rocks.
Later on in the week our group drenched (essentially gave sheep medicine) which entailed shifting and lifting the the sheep on their backs and dragging them into the shearing shed. While Ben, Zack, Simone, Anna, and Brian were handling the sheep, Katie, Annie, Morgan, Skyeler, Ori, and Maddie had the chance to experience one of the toughest jobs on the farm – weeding! On an organic farm where pesticides are prohibited, weeding becomes a SERIOUSLY tough job for farmers and WWOOFers. While weeding many of us discovered some spooky looking caves too.
On Thursday we dedicated all of our time to the cows! In the morning we along with Nick and Mei herded the cows to prepare them for their pregnancy tests in the afternoon. On our last full day Craig took us on a breathtaking hike up to the Natural Tunnel, which was basically a giant cave that the group explored and hung out in for a bit.
All in all, our experience at Ruaway Farm with Craig, David, Mike, and Claire has been absolutely extraordinary. Not only have our hosts been amazingly kind and hospitable, but they have given a bunch of unskilled Americans the chance to get a glimpse of every day farm life. There’s a lot more work and though involved in farming than we all expected, and I can safely say we all have a newfound respect for farmers and food production in general. Our time here has been unforgettable. We’re all sad to leave Ruaway Farm, but hopefully our next adventures will be just as memorable.
P.S. Shout out to the Spankster! We want more comments!! And to answer your question…the food is delicious. You would love it!! Fresh meat directly from the farm and raw milk from the cows. Could it get any better? There are also four super cute puppies here…you guys would definitely be buds. Hope to hear more from you soon!
Love, Katie