Farmin' (and shootin') in the Waikato

Yesterday Tally and I went on an excursion into the Waikato ("why cot o") with my workmate Dixie.  The Waikato is one of 15 regions on the North Island of New Zealand and is good dairy country.  We were invited to the Hallet dairy farm by my friend Mel who also works at PwC.

View from their front yard. Not bad.

We arrived just in time for some lunch on the farm which consisted of cold ham and cheese sandwiches with avocado. This was the first thing that reminded me of home (whenever we needed a quick lunch mom would make cold ham sandwiches). We were also privileged to spend the day with my friends (and coworkers) Nate and Ava, who are planning to move to Houston in a few months.

After lunch we took the "quads" or four-wheelers down to the "paddock" or pasture where the cows were patiently waiting to be milked. Before we took the cows home, Mel and her brothers, Shawn and Adam, showed us their duck hunting shed down by the pond. Duck hunting in New Zealand is probably as popular as deer hunting is in the Midwest. Oh, and the second thing that reminded me of home was Mel's farming brother Adam, who reminded me of my brother Ted. They both are naturally good at what they do, and they thoroughly enjoy farming and harping on the other siblings for not being as agriculturally gifted.

Me driving the quad

Tally and Dixie down by the  pond

We brought the cows home and helped Adam milk some 250 of them. It was a team effort. We even looked the part with the shit kickers and the "Breaking Bad" style overalls. And guess who got down and dirty, right up in the cows' teats? Proof is in the pictures -- I was very proud of her for having no fear. She even got splattered with numbers 1 and 2 from the ladies and didn't call it quits! 

Tally and I getting psyched up for milking by playing with the doggies

 Nate and Tally hooking up the milkers

Tally and I  in the milking parlor

After we finished milking we got to the fun part: clay-pigeon shooting! The Americans (Nate, Tally and I) were really hoping that we could keep our country proud by showing up the Kiwis. In the end we realized that the trajectory of the clay pigeons plus the guns being sighted in metric system plus the earth's gravitational pull being different in the southern hemisphere were the primary reasons why as a group we only managed to hit 3 clay pigeons out of around 50 (don't want to brag, but all 3 were hit by me). After reviewing footage taken from the scene we noticed that Tally's stance was a bit weak as she jerked back a step or two with each pull of the trigger. She does get credit for trying. 

Me showing the other Americans how it's done

By this time is was evening and time for dinner. The Hallet family continued their superb hospitality by BBQing some chicken, lamb chops, beef burgers, and potatoes. We topped off the night with some good conversation at the dinner table with some Tip Top ice cream (a NZ-household staple) and fruit and wine and beers. All in all, not too bad of a day on the farm.

The third thing that reminded Tally and I of home was how great it is to spend time with family, be on the farm, and have people go out of their way to show their guests a good time. We have now claimed the Hallet family as our NZ family away from home! 

This was a great reminder for us to invite people into our home and to be as hospitable as we can!

Merry Christmas and God Bless,

Will