Struan Farm

Wandering Northland

This brings to mind a song from my days at Girl Scout Camp: "I Love to Go A-wandering." With all the work we've had on at Struan Farm, I haven't had time to do this for some time, and it made me realize how much I really enjoy getting out and exploring the New Zealand landscape. There's so much out there!

Thought I would share with you some of the images from the rest of our recent short trip up North to the Kaipara. 

John treated me to a night at the five star luxury of Waipoua Lodge, on the Kauri Coast not far from the Waipoua Forest, home to giant kauri trees including Tane Mahuta, the world's largest known kauri tree. We stayed in a comfortable suite, and enjoyed amazing cuisine prepared by our hostess (and experienced chef) Fran.  The lodge is a destination for international travellers, honeymooners, and anyone else looking for a special getaway.

On the drive there we stopped in Pahi, a little settlement on the Kaipara Harbour that is known for its huge Moreton Bay Fig Tree, believed to be one of the largest in existence at 25.7 metres high with a spread of 51 metres. 

After Pahi we made a flying visit to the Kauri Museum in Matakohe so I could see what is there. What a treasure trove of New Zealand history--more time there is warranted on a future visit. 

And then there were two churches that caught my eye. (It's safe to say that country churches almost always catch my eye.) One abandoned, down a gravel road in a farm paddock. Love those windows and the colors of the metal roof:

The second I christened "The Church of the Crooked Crosses," and I like to think that they must welcome wayward souls:

Lastly, a drive down another gravel road off SH12 to Maunganui Bluffs Beach, wow:

Stone Wall Country

In addition to Kai Iwi Lakes, the other thing I was particularly interested in seeing on our recent road trip up North was the historic drystone walls that dot the countryside outside of Whangarei. The walls were built from volcanic stone from the area (volcanic cones dot the landscape), by the original farming families on the land, by contractors who worked for land owners, and/or by those who worked under government subsidized employment schemes during the Depression.

Lucky for me, we had dinner with a work colleague of John's who lives on a farm near one of the areas where these can be seen: Whatitiri. I managed to convince John to stop the car briefly enroute to dinner so that I could share some of these with you, including one with a baby turkey on top!

Unfortunately I didn't have much time to mess around, these were drive bys! I'd actually like to spend a bit more time in this area seeing more of the walls that remain, after reading Catherine Ballard's book "Stone Wall Country: Drystone Walls of the Whangarei District."

Visit to Kai Iwi Lakes

One of the more interesting stops on my recent tour of the Kaipara District up north was Kai Iwi Lakes. These are freshwater dune lakes (Kai Iwi, Taharoa and Waikere), renowned for their beauty. I've been keen to visit here for quite some time.

The dune lakes were formed, and are fed, by the accumulation of rain water in depressions of sand, above relatively impermeable ironstone pans. Water levels change depending on the season.

Maori are believed to have used the lakes for fishing in the 16th century, later living around the lake during summer and using the Pine Beach camping area as a convalescent camp for wounded warriors. Oral tradition mentions large eeling parties descending upon the lake during the migration season.

"Kai Iwi--food for the people," was named for its abundance of fish and eels. "Taharoa--long calabash," was named because the lake is shaped like a long necked pumpkin/squash. And last but not least, "Waikere--rippling water" was called this due to its windswept surface.

Kauri gum digger huts existed on the shores of Lake Kai Iwi in the 1870's. By 1892 there was a small camp and general store at Lake Taharoa, and by the 1920's, about 100 people, mostly gum diggers, were believed to have lived around the lakes' shores. Most of the diggers left the area by the late 1920's.

Today the lakes are part of a reserve that offers a range of recreational activities and support a variety of native bird, fish and plant life.

On a weekday in late spring it was relatively quiet, with only a few campers around (and these were mostly German tourists off the beaten track). So I was able to wander and photograph in complete tranquility, stumbled upon a wetland area with a cluster of skeleton trees housing a colony of nesting little shags. I wasn't able to get terribly close to them (my longest lens is 300mm), but it was interesting to see!

 

Well worth a visit if you're in the area, or looking for an interesting place to camp with family.

On Becoming a Kiwi

I've been away for a few days up north this week with John, seeing the sights in the Kaipara District, but more importantly getting my New Zealand citizenship in an official ceremony yesterday. US citizens are able to maintain duel citizenship now, and I've been a permanent resident long enough to qualify.

Income taxes are filed and paid in both jurisdictions under a treaty arrangement, which creates some administrative requirements but I've been dealing with those since I landed many years ago.

The only difference between permanent residency and citizenship practically is that I will also now have a NZ passport and can run for elected political office. Hmmm, that's an option if I were to get bored....

It was quite an emotional experience. Seems I'm here for the duration. And it just keeps getting better!

Blossoming at Struan Farm

Arrived at Struan Farm this past weekend to find all of our roses in full bloom, along with the dogwoods. And Hydrangea Hill is about ready to pop.

It was all really a big "wow," even if we do say so ourselves!

 

Making an Entrance

More happenings at Struan Farm! We're re-doing the main front entrance to the Homestead, finally. 

The old concrete was removed this week and fine gravel/metal laid along with wooden boxing and a drain. Concrete/cement will be poured this week.

It should look great when done, can't wait to see it all next weekend.

Iris Adventure

Thanks to Heather at Country Trading in Mapua for telling me about Richmond Irises. I had time on Saturday before heading to the airport, so I called in to the gardens/nursery on my way through Richmond. While the peak bloom is over and done with, I was amazed and interested to see the different varieties available and the paddocks, wow.

While some of these are a bit too "frou frou" for me, I'd like more colors and variety in our gardens at Struan Farm. So as you might expect, I'm already looking into this for next season.....

A Fine Fern Fetish

I can spend hours with ferns, can get lost and lose track of all time, happily. Most recently at Doone Cottage. It's spring, the koru were unfurling in numbers, and the evening light was interesting. 

 

As I've explained in a previous post, probably last year about this same time, the koru symbolises the circle of life. And I think you can see why, can't you? 

Glen's Friendly Flock

During my recent visit to Doone Cottage in Motueka I wandered down the drive to the paddock where the sheep, geese and ducks hang out. Glen has quite a menagerie, she loves her animals. (The donkeys are across the road in another paddock.) So these are mostly pet sheep (one or two quite elderly), they actually come running when a person arrives at the gate and aren't fussed at all about being photographed at close range.

The Arapawas (brown ones), descendants of Captain Cook's sheep, are a bit shy, but even they don't run away.

If only our sheep at Struan Farm would be this cooperative!

Peonies/Paeonies Overlooking Kahurangi National Park

I love the gardens at Doone Cottage, especially when the peonies are in bloom at this time of year (no need to quibble about the American vs. British spelling, okay?). The gardens look out upon Mt. Arthur and Kahurangi National Park in the distance across the river, it's a very special setting to say the least.

 

 

I know, not a peony, rather a huge clematis blossom, just because.

Trend du Jour: Village Milk, Straight from the Farm

I was away down in Nelson last week for a few days of business meetings, and stayed over at Doone Cottage with friend Glen Davenport Friday night.

While in the area I picked up on an interesting emerging trend: buying fresh, raw milk at the farmgate. Several people had mentioned to me that there were vending machines around at some area farms, so when I saw this sign I braked and went off down a gravel road to explore further:

Fortunately there was a helpful, friendly guy buying milk at the same time who explained to me what to do, but it's really easy. You purchase a new bottle from the vending machine, or bring your own to reuse, put coins into the machine and fill your bottle (1 or 2 litre options). It couldn't be easier.

 

So I arrived at Glen's with a bottle of cold, fresh milk, straight from the farm. They even have a picture of the cows providing the milk, the "team."

This particular farm in the Moutere is part of a franchised network called Village Milk, think this will really catch on, particularly for anyone wanting to make cheese at home. Thinking they should brand the bottles and make them a bit more old fashioned looking, that would be really cool.

I remember the milkman used to deliver milk to our house in glass bottles when I was growing up, we had a milkbox at the back door. While Village Milk is clearly more self service oriented, with the customers going to the farm to get their milk rather than vice versa, this is great--you know where your milk has come from.

We can get into the issue or raw vs. pasturized milk at a later date. I know, health standards would have to be very, very high and I'm assuming they are.  At least in NZ we don't have to contend with BGH (bovine growth hormones) in our milk supply. 

Dusky Dancer's First Appearance

The dark, dark purple iris I brought back from The Nelson Growables Fair last November has come into bloom at Struan Farm. Her name is Dusky Dancer, and she seems quite happy in the gardens at Paemako, Piopio.

Coincidentally, this year's fair will be held tomorrow, Nov. 17th.

Morning Reflections

Thought the early morning sunlight filtering through the Homestead's bedroom window at Struan Farm looked lovely enough to photograph. The shadows of the viburnum leaves created a dreamy look.

Perhaps I was the one who was in a dreamy state, I know! Remedied quickly enough with a good cup of coffee and the day's work.

Happy Days

Hooray, Piopio Berry Orchard is now open for the season and the strawberries are coming on! 

January will be jam making at Struan Farm for sure, by then the blueberries will be available too.

First Roses of the Season

So much happens so quickly this time of the year in the gardens at Struan Farm.

This week the roses have kicked in. The red rose is "Dublin Bay," the apricot "Crepuscle," the pink "Compassion," a Struan Farm heirloom that used to grow by the old swimming pool, and the orange we have now figured out is called "L'Oreal Trophy." 

Just one of my many happy times at Struan Farm...

Happenings at Piopio's Country Fair

I managed to talk John into a quick visit to Piopio Primary School's Country Fair this past Saturday, after being intrigued by this poster advertising the event:

I especially wanted to get there in time to see the possums brought in by kids for weighing (there was also a prize for the most caught), and the rural country kid events. We weren't disappointed!

While anyone in New Zealand knows this already, I should emphasize here for the benefit of overseas readers, particularly anyone troubled by this, that possums are a non-native species. They have become a terrible pest, destroying native bush and birdlife. The Department of Conservation and Regional Councils have eradication programmes underway across the country in an effort to control numbers, no one realistically thinks they will ever be eliminated entirely but we can only hope. With assistance from Waikato Regional Council's programme and our own trapping, we have reduced possum numbers significantly at Struan Farm, but I was interested to see by this that they're still around in significant numbers.

Our two favorite activities for kids at the fair included a sled type ride, where kids sat on a wool sack and held onto a rope while being towed by quad bike:

And another where the participant was put into a safety harness, and hung in the air by a digger while they tried to stack as many boxes as they could before toppling over:

It was great to see the ingenuity of these improvised events, and everyone having heaps of fun. We didn't stay around to hear who won the possum prizes, and we also missed the Wearable Arts fashion show of clothing crafted from recycled materials, but suspect we'll read about it in the next issue of Piopio's "Bird Talk" newsletter.

Poppy in Perspective

These are poppies that self seed at Struan Farm, they've been in the gardens for years. Sometimes we save the pods and help them self seed in other gardens. The bees love them and we do too. 

Since today is Veteran's/Armistice Day, and because the poppy is a symbol of remembrance of soldiers who have died in war, thought I would share this with you. Poppies also symbolise peace.

Our Little Commuter

Clifford commutes back and forth to Struan Farm with us. He used to ride mostly with me, in the back seat of my car, but he's now decided John's Toyota Rav4 is his vehicle of choice. He loves that he has his own little compartment in the back. 

And to be honest, much as I love this silly dog, I'm happy not to have him panting in my ear and licking the car windows. So it's a win/win situation, at least for Clifford and me. Not so sure about John!

In Search of Paemako's Past

In my "spare" time, I've started a little research project into the history of the area south of Piopio where Struan Farm is located, which is called Paemako.

Here's a teaser:

From what I've been able to read so far from newspapers articles in the National Library archive Papers Past, the area was opened to European settlement in 1896 under the "Improved Farm Settlement Scheme." A block of approximately 1400 acres was subdivided into twelve holdings ranging from 100-200 acres each. Every section was taken up and resided upon by owners in the midst of thousands of acres of protected (the article in 1911 referred to these as "locked up") Maori lands. Settlers had no means of communication, and most worked on the formation work of the main Te Kuiti-Awakino Road (now SH3) in addition to farming, at least until dairying grew in the district. Paemako settlers were the main supporters of the construction of the Piopio Dairy Factory when it was built in 1911.

The little school  above, long abandoned, pre-dated that built in Piopio, which still operates. It was eventually amalgamated into Piopio in 1924 along with a number of other smaller area schools as part of a national consolidation effort (school consolidations continue here in New Zealand, and were as controversial then as they are now!).

I've been having fun reading through news articles in the archives about settler socials, school fund raisers and various community events and issues. It's interesting to see that some issues today (roading and rural broadband) were far bigger issues then (neither roads nor telephones existed initially, this area was isolated for years). 

Will share more once I know more.

Finds from The Crafty Pigeon

John and I stopped by the official opening of Piopio's Crafty Pigeon gift and houseware shop this past weekend. They had a soft opening a few weeks ago, but last Friday it was a proper celebration, with the shop now decorated for Christmas.

As for me, I scored a few of these fun tea towels with all the place names in the Piopio area for Christmas presents for friends: