Thanks yet again to Morag and Pete who've loaned us their car for a trip north. Their parting words were to wonder whether we could bring it back any more dirty than the St Helen's dustbowl makes it; they hadn't reckoned with the frequency of cowpats we've encountered today...
The Molesworth Station covers untold areas of sheep and cattle-grazing land, and bridges the gap between Hanmer Springs to the South and the wine regions of Marlborough (including Blenheim) to the North. The river Acheron runs the length of Molesworth and is your constant companion; the original road was used by the drovers travelling across the region.
Despite mixed weather which means that the photos don't do justice to the beautiful and varied scenery enroute up to Blenheim (deep ravines and gorges of glacial water, then forbidding craggy outcrops, then fields of broom, then grassland of cattle and sheep. At some points, we had to cross small streams; Duncan perfected his judgment of depth!
Meanwhile, my job mainly involved gates...
In fact, we came closer to cattle than is usual; arriving at the very first stop, the Historic Acheron Accommodation House, the ranger warned us that some thousand-head of cattle were being mustered and moved along the Acheron Road that morning, so we'd better bide our time rather than meet them on the road! They took a while to arrive (we heard them long before we saw them over the hill) and getting them through the gate was a challenge but, once the first few had decided to give it a go, the rest were pretty much funnelled through under sheer pressure of numbers. The dogs and cowboys rounded up a few rogues and the efforts of the breakaway "Molesworth 6" faction gave us a few laughs before they were brought under control.
A lovely day. Now in Blenheim, planning vineyard trips for tomorrow.
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