Keepin' it rural in Dargaville

We woke up in the Kumara Capital of New Zealand and spent the day on several farms. For a group of Iowans, the rural, laid-back pace of Dargaville feels we are in a small town between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, but the spectular mountain views remind us we are far from home. We started our day at Bob Steed's sheep farm and his son-in-law Reese demonstrated the sheep herding talents of his two dogs, Speedy and Spade. We were in awe! Next it was time to watch sheep shearing. Bob asked for volunteers to try shearing and Darren and I were both ready to give it a go. Bob told me I was a natural and I asked if he takes sheep shearing interns! Darren went next and also did very well. Our team members encouraged us by saying, "Come on - ewe can do it!" The next stop was at a strawberry farm and the growers, John and Adrianna, grow their berries in bags of saw dust on raised beds. They don't have pest issues and even the birds stay away from the fruit. We sampled the fruits and they were delicious. At their farm we had a picnic lunch made by Year 13s (seniors) from Dargaville High School. We ended our day at Ernie's Kumara Box and had a ride around his farm, which featured New Zealand's smallest chapel and a kiwi made of flax. We tried roasted purple kumara and wanted to pack some to take back home. We also watched a video about the history of kumara farming in the Northlands and Ernie entertained us with stories. After our day of farming, we headed to the grocery store to buy food for our weekend retreat at Kelly's Bay. Tonight we will give a presentation to the Dargaville Rotary Club. Look for more updates on Monday or Tuesday next week!