Farm Views
This is how you get to our place. If you came during July or surrounding months, it would look somewhat different, i.e. muddy, puddly, wet and with much less grass!
If you're a burgler, you'll be attacked by an assortment of guard animals, from Damian the sheep prone to madness, to the lustful paradise duck and bear in mind that at any moment we may emerge from the bushes wherein we have been waiting for you!
Looking East from one of the paddocks on the flat. Diggers Valley Road passes through our place between the trees and the paddock on the hill in the distance. The Waikawa River flows through the trees mostly followed by the road.
A view of the Tāheke stream which flows down through the entire length of the farm. The stream flows from Puketutu, 420m at its summit, situated in the Herekino Forest reserve and between us and Larmer Road, where some of Stephan's family live.
Another view of the same river, about 100m upstream. The gate across the river is one of the floodgates which are necessary here, to prevent the stock moving from one paddock to another via the river bed, but suspended across the river to enable movement during the floods which occur quite frequently.
This is part of a patch of bush we've fenced off recently. It contains several very large Pūriri, some of which have begun to fall recently but, since we have excluded the stock (who particularly like Pūriri leaves), those trees have sprouted again where they have fallen.
There are also, among other things, Tōtara, Ponga, Nīkau, Kohekohe, Karamū, Māhoe, various Rātā, both climbing and Northern.
During floods, much of the ground in this area is covered in water.