We came across all sorts of wildlife in the Wairarapa last weekend while we were driving around. We called in to Claireville to check out the facilities at the Motor Camp. A lovely tranquil lake edged with rushes made a pretty background for the two different species of ducks which paddled serenely across the water. This cheeky duck was on a mission, she waddled right up to us to see who these visitors were.
Is this Jemima Puddleduck perhaps?
We then drove on to Mount Holdsworth, set in the Tararua foothills. This is a very popular tramping area and the car park was packed with people out for the day walking, tramping or staying the night at one of the huts farther up the mountains. The kowhai trees were in flower and we spotted this kereru (native pigeon) feasting on the blossoms. He wasn’t the least bit worried about all the people standing under his tree and pointing cameras at him.
Kereru feeding in a kowhai tree
We came across a bit of a road block on the way to Mount Bruce. A local dairy farmer was moving his large herd of cows to the milking shed, which just happened to be on the other side of the main road. We slowed the car right down as we carefully edged our way through the herd.
Road block in the country
At the Mount Bruce Pioneer Museum we stopped and admired a paddock full of young calves. These babies hadn’t long been separated from their mothers and were being fed with milk through a “calfaterior”, a strange looking contraption rather like the bowl of a washing machine with a multitude of feeding teats. The calves were just starting to eat grass but must have thought we looked a motherly bunch as they all came running up to see if we had any milk for them.
Are you my mother, they seem to be saying
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