Stewards of the Heartlands

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High Country Summer in the Southern Alps at Glenariffe Station

With the arrival of summer in the Southern Alps and the grazing paddocks greening, it is time to move in livestock on to the new grass. It turned out to be one of those days of windy, cold mountain weather despite it being summer. But the paddocks were in great shape as there had been nurturing rain. In December 2017, Mark Ensor of Glenariffe was busy moving cattle and sheep to fresh paddocks and sending a truck load of ewes off to be sold at the livestock market as breeding ewes. It was a busy day but wee Ben was there to help Dad (and do some posing for the photographer!).

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Mark and "Drum"

Heading out to work the sheep mob in the yards and begin loading the livestock truck.

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Moving a small herd of cattle to another paddock.

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Moving the sheep up from the valley floor to the sheep yards.

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Mark checking the sheep mob to ensure there are no 'interlopers' going for a ride.

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The ewes being held for loading.

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The livestock truck backing into the chute of the sheep yards at Glenariffe Station.

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Setting up the loading chute.

Monk Fitzpatrick from the trucking company lining up the chute to load the three levels of compartments.

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Mark and Monk moving ewes into the race for the loading chute.

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Ben checking out the sheep in the loading chute race.

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Ben dropping in for another pose!

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Mark moving the sheep up the loading chute into the truck.

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Passengers checking out the view from the truck.

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Monk heading off with his first load of sheep.

Monk heads down the hill from the sheep yards taking the sheep to the market where the ewes are being sold.

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View from the Upper Paddocks.

Its summertime and time to move stock into the fresh grass in the upper terrace areas of Glenariffe Station with a view across to Double Hill (far right) and looking up into the far reaches of the Rakaia Gorge.

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Grazing calves on the Upper Terraces.

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Portraiture!

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End of the day, heading back home.

It was an atmospheric day in the Rakaia Gorge with changing light in a cool, windy day in the mountains despite it being summer and only a week before Christmas. Fortunately, the Christmas shopping traffic was rather light on this day!