On one of our many days in Queenstown we chose to go on a steamship called TSS Earnslaw. TSS Earnslaw goes to and from a farm called Walter Peak. It is the only historic way to get to the farm. Now, in present day, you can also take a speed boat, or just drive, but where’s the fun in that? We got on the Earnslaw and took the forty five minute ride to the farm where we went on the tour!
The Earnslaw is a steamship which means fire and coal is used to power it. It also means that if anyone sits at the front of the ship, where it is uncovered, and the wind is blowing the wrong direction, soot rains down on them is there. We didn’t find that out until later though, on our journey to the farm we mostly just checked out the engine room and enjoyed the scenery. The engine room had two levels though the upper was installed as a viewing platform. It was predictably very hot and loud right above the engine, and there were a bunch of people crowding around, so I didn’t stay long in the middle tier, but I did stand above that looking down from the main deck for a little while until we arrived.
We arrived and almost immediately our tour of the farm started. We started out with an overview of what we would do, feed some of the animals, watch a sheep loose its wool. Then a few rules, no riding the highland coos, stay on your side of the fence, yada yada… I was petting a dog at this time so it’s all a bit distant. Then we fed the calves! All the cows that we fed were under a year old and most of them were a bit pushy about MOOORE FOOOOOD! Our favorite one was the loudest on that particular aspect having been very vocal even when we where going through the rules and interrupting several times. Once everyone on the tour had fed the calves and a few were starting to wander off (cows and people) we moved to the highland coos. The coos were less thrilled about the getting fed but two did start to plod over once hands filled with food were near the fence. We were told the two at the fence were both girls and the one on the hill was the male, there were also two babies that hid behind a rock the whole time. Then there were also goats, mean goats. The goats where the most thrilled yet about the snack but they were less nice about it. There were only two goats and both seemed to have a penchant for head butting. I don’t think it was my imagination that we moved on the quickest from them. The sheep won the prize for most pushy-hungry-escape-artists. We definitely stayed the longest with them, and it didn’t help that the alpacas were right next to them so there was even more reason to stay. Only one sheep escaped while we where there but later I saw two more get free, it didn’t seem to matter much to our tour guide, after a few minutes of the sheep running around it was scooped up and plopped back into the pen.
As with most of the tours of farms that we have been on, this one finished up with a presentation of sheep sheering and dog herding. The sheep was predictably very unhappy about loosing it’s coat but it was explained to us that once it’s hooves are no longer touching the ground it becomes very docile because it no longer has any idea what to do now that it cannot run away. After the sheering there was a demonstration of dog herding! This was the first time we did not have to move in order to watch, instead a large tarp that had been providing shade moved for us! A button was pressed and the tarp rolled up like the sail on a ship, clearing our view of the fields behind. The dog was off in moments and some of the sheep on the hill started huddling together, away from the dog. Except they were not the target! We in fact could not see the sheep the dog was supposed to be herding for several minutes because of a small dip in the terrain causing them to be out of view. Eventually they were spotted though and we watched as ten baaaaing sheep came cantering (do sheep canter? If not, picture a very fast jog) towards us.
We rode back the same way we had come, on the TSS Earnslaw. We liked our visit to Walter Peek and I think we all agree that it was one of our favorite farms that we have visited. We loved the tour and the demonstration at the end, all together it was a very good day.
P.S. Dad says I forgot about his favorite part! After the tour we had a tea, Kiwi style. He likes it because it is more like gourmet snack time. Yum!