They say that how you spend your days is how you spend your life, so I was pleased not to waste the entirety of yesterday moaning about life’s imperfections, but rather to take a family day trip to one of New Zealand’s most iconic activities: a local A and P show.
I can’t recommend this highly enough. It had everything you could possibly want from a show like this, and we weren’t the only ones who knew it, as proven by the thronging crowds. It had something for everyone, and was perfect for those of us with a short attention span, which is just about everyone in this day and age, let’s face it. We did one entire circuit of the Showgrounds, spending a few minutes at each event.
We started with the show jumping, and then went to the poultry exhibition. Sadly they didn’t have any pigeons on display but they had a range of chickens and ducks of varying levels of exoticism. There was a raffle to guess the weight of one enormous bird, and there were a number of others for sale. These included baby chicks that were too young to be gendered. The cage had a sign saying if your birds end up being males, contact the poultry club for advice. Of course, male chicks are no good for laying and you aren’t allowed to keep them in many residential areas. I suspect sadly the club’s advice in the event of your chicks being cockerels may include recipes.
Simon quickly hustled us out of the poultry hall in fear that I might succumb to temptation, and our next stop was the judging for best heifer calf. My vote was for the adorable wee jersey but it was the freisian who took out the top prize, mostly because of her child bearing hips (or ‘pins’) if I understood the judge correctly.
Next stops were the wood chopping competition, dog obedience, and shearing, but we didn’t spend a lot of time at these because it was getting pretty hot by then.
There was plenty of shiny new farm equipment on display as well, hopefully this is a sign that the farming economy is in good heart. Here is a giant tractor with a compact anaesthetist as a size comparison.
The younger members of our party showed some interest in the fairground rides, but I wasn’t too disappointed when they declared it was too hot to stay outside. They were somehow both cheesy and rickety, which was a charming combination but perhaps not optimal when life and limb are at risk. I’m probably overreacting, though, as I’m sure the number of fatalities at these events in the past few years could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Next we went via the petting zoo indoors to the craft halls. There are so many clubs and societies out there to keep country folk entertained!
Unfortunately I don’t have any photos from the bakery competition, but I can tell you, Kathy Knowles was the big winner on the day. I don’t know how many entrants there were, but no matter the category – fruit cake, iced marble cake, shortbread, pinwheel scones – she was up there in the top three, at least once if not twice. I would love to be a fly on the wall at the women’s institute monthly meetings, I’m the sure the political intrigue must be fascinating.
A marvellous day out, a showcase of the finest NZ has to offer. Coming to a country region near you.