Probably a shorter blog today and we catch up with with Deb’s Uncle Ross and Aunty Debbie, who are incidentally about the same age as us. They have lived in Alexandra for the last three years having moved from Gore via a 4 year stint in Australia. They have a 30 Acre property just out of town that they will build a house on. Ross needed to do some work lining his shed, and while I did provide some assistance, a spot of drone flying was a much better option.
After lunch we took a walk around the property and discussed some of the plans that they have. The property has a great outlook over the Central Otago hills.
One thing we did notice was the prevalence of rabbits. As we walked around we saw hundreds of them scurrying between burrows. These rabbits cause lots of damage to the land by digging their burrows everywhere and their numbers are always increasing … like rabbits. Like Australia, rabbits were introduced into New Zealand in the late 19th century for hunting. Similarly to Australia most attempts of control like poisoned food, gassing burrows, biological control and bounties have generally failed. In New Zealand, stoats were introduced, but this too has generally had a negative impact on the local fauna.
There are many things stored at the farm, however I was assured that everything here works! including … the boat, for which Ross has a plan… time will tell!
We’d offered to take Ross and Debbie out to dinner for the lodgings they’d provided and we chose to go to the Ferris Road Brewery. This is a venue decorated with a lot of steel farm equipment that provides a great local vibe. They also a make great range make great pizzas and the service was excellent from very friendly staff.
When we got back to the house, more of Deb’s relatives arrived. They are planning a trip to the UK this year, so Uncle Ian can cycle the length of the UK with his son and grandson. As a warm up he’d ridden the ‘Old Ghost Road’, an 85 km mountain bike trail on the West Coast. The Youtube videos made me feel sick.
Last day tomorrow … so until then!
Rob's "Beats Working" Blog 