A frosty start this morning created these beautiful edgings.
As it was the first day of Queen's Birthday holiday we headed out to Lake Ferry to look at caravan sites. Had an interesting wander and then realised I was going to be late for work at 1.00pm unless we left immediately.
We enjoyed the sunshine, the sea air, views of the Tararuas with low fog creating layers of blue haze, a soft skirt about her waist. Then clear roads until we came around a corner into a huge herd of cattle being shifted from one farm to another. "Fancy moving them on the first day of Queens Birthday" I muttered, "Everyone is out on the road."
"Gypsy Day" said Jeff as if it answered me completely. I thought he'd gone bonkers, but this man speaks in riddles. He explained about all the share milkers in New Zealand who change from one farm to another, once a year, on the same day. Began to sound feasible but forgive me if I'm cynical, he's caught me out before. I said I'd suspend my belief until I could do a Google check. He grinned and said "Article in the paper a couple of days ago".
About fifteen minutes driving through the herd which had become spread out over kilometre. Some were panicked and many did their ungainly criss-cross run along side and over the road. The farmer looked fed up and ready to clock a townie. Although the paddocks have greened up the cows still show signs of poor condition after the long summer drought.
I felt really sympathetic for the share milkers and their families. What a huge shift - cattle, families and all their belongings - and on a day when the townies are out driving around. It would be easier if Queens Birthday and Gypsy Day didn't coincide.
Skidded into Greytown's South End Dairy, home of the world famous (in Greytown) homemade pies I had never tasted. The sign doesn't lie. I'll be going back. I had a wonderful "fusion" pie: Buttered Chicken. The yum started with the smell and continued with the taste. 
Relief to be at work on time and tonight I checked - he's right of course - bet you knew that! What a strange and wonderful national event; what food for a novel!
Googling around I found a site for picture book gypsy horses http://www.gypsymvp.com/index.htm and an article about Kaimanawa horses. These wild New Zealand horses are in an area of unusual and vulnerable vegetation so there is a management scheme to reduce their numbers. (Of course we will not mention the army uses the area for tanks and live ammunition practice - but they aren't being culled!) A group tries to rescue and re home the horses, but many are culled and become pet food. The article I found mentioned that because of Gypsy Day they had difficulty in getting cattle trucks to transport the mustered horses.
There is a suggestion that these horses are related to the horses of The New Forest and Exmoor. That reminded me that while I was recently in Devon there were many news items and warnings, as people were mowing down (and killing) the ponies on Dartmoor by driving too fast. Now I find I can sponsor a Kamanawa pony http://www.kaimanawa.com/ - how to have a pony when you can't have a pony. It will be called Clayton.
