Cock-a-doodle-doo! Where are you? I am in Oamaru, New Zealand.
The Chicken Coop
We have visited Philip and Diana, who were dear friends of my grandparents and are now our dear friends, too!
The Old Victorian Part of Oamaru
We Went to a Cool Adventure Bookstore
And a Park/Playground Made Entirely Out of Recyclable Materials
Woo Hoo – a Zip Line!
Philip and Di are originally from England where my Nana and Grandpa met them, and they are retired (not expired,as Philip said) in New Zealand, although Philip works twice a week as a physician in Oamaru. Both Philip and Di work very hard (but fun work) on their beautiful farm.
Learning How to be a Sustainable Farmer
They live on the ocean where you can see charging white horses – an inside joke – any day!
Can you guess what charging white horses means (see below for hints)?
Philip and Di’s Property From the Distance
If you guessed ocean waves, you are correct!
I loved their exotic garden. In fact, it is so beautiful, that it won the “National Garden of Significance” which is a really special award in all of New Zealand.
Eight Peking Ducks in the Pond – the Island is Where They Sleep
Not many gardens win four stars. There are only four other people with four star gardens!
The Bees Love It, Too!
Philip and I picked lettuce for salads and Di and I picked rainbow chard for the chickens.
Every morning we fed the chickens leftover bread and chard.
Early AM
One of the hens did not come out to feed because she was sitting tight on her eggs.The Cockrell/rooster fertilizes the egg so they can hatch. The hen sits for an average of 21 days. Unfortunately, the eggs didn’t hatch while we were there.
Mother Hen
Speaking of eggs, did you know that eggshells are the color of its mothers ears? Now you know why there are brown eggs and white eggs and a lot in between!
The chickens at Philip and Di’s are free range chickens, which means their wings are not clipped and they can fly and walk wherever they would like. But the Cockrell/rooster makes sure they come back at night. The rooster also is a good alarm clock, though he wakes me up a
little earlier than I would like!
Philip and Di also have sheep! “Lamb Chop” is the oldest and the matriarch of the herd.
We got to herd them from one Paddock into another Paddock (field or pasture). Check out this cool video:
We visited the Oamaru Opera House – I miss my friends and being in shows in the Sacramento and Woodland Theaters.
A Big “Shout Out” to All My Woodland Opera House Friends!
One of Philip and Di’s friends, Sophie, invited me to go see the movie, Cinderella. It was fun playing with her and her brother Jacob.
Sophie and her brother, Jacob.
We also got to walk along the beach. I found a Paua shell. A Paua is the Maori name for a large edible sea snail. In America we call it abalone.
I noticed Philip and Di ate a little differently. Every meal has courses, such as breakfast has cereal, then eggs, and then toast.
We Had Lots of Great Breakfasts!
We ate out on the “bandstand,” a structure they had built outside by the pond with a table. It has beautiful views of the garden and pond.
And Lunches!
In the Bandstand!
And Dinners, too!
Now you know all about our trip to Philip and Di’s – thank you Philip and Di – we can’t wait to see you again soon!
Look for more from your Junior World Trek Reporter.
Keep Calm and Travel Around the World.
I did not know that eggshells are the color of the mother’s ears! What a fun fact (I love those sorts of random facts 🙂 )!
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