Mt Nic News

August 2009 Current News

Since the last news update, life at Mt Nicholas has been extremely busy, both in the lodge & on the farm.

In March, we hosted Novartis, an international company who chose Mt Nicholas as the destination for the launch of a major new animal drench. This event was 12 months in the planning, involved all of the station staff and on the day we hosted 180 guests as well as a large media contingent.
Three days of fine weather ensured that the event went according to plan & the visitors were able to enjoy the peaceful tranquillity & spectacular scenery, the station has to offer.

One of the highlights of the day was watching the guests depart for Queenstown in helicopters, quite a feat considering the numbers.

This years Fall Muster, also attracted media interest, with Merino NZ spending 2 days on the muster taking a wide range of photo’s that would be used in future marketing of Merino Wool as a high quality garment yarn.
As part of this promotion, Robert & Linda were invited to attend the 225 year anniversary of John Smedley in the UK, a renowned high quality knitwear manufacturer and as part of the celebrations, some of the Mt Nic photo’s were featured , Jack resting easy on the tops & Rochelle looking very fashionable in a Pure Merino Wool knitted dress.

 

The very good growth experienced in summer, certainly helped with winter feeding & overall the stock have come through in good condition. The next big event on the farming calendar, is shearing, which begins in the next few weeks. This is one job that is very weather dependant so a decent spell of fine weather certainly makes it easier.

One of the other recent farm projects, was felling selected trees for milling into timber for use around the station including new weather boards for re cladding the power house. The finished product looks great and its another good example of just how self sustaining, this property is.

In the lodge, we have continued to enjoy the company of some amazing people and had the good fortune to have some guests returning for their third visits.

We have also completed the last of our redecorating with the lounge/dining room getting a makeover in addition to new carpet throughout the main lodge. While the results give a fresh new look, the overall warmth & character of the lodge has been maintained.

With early signs of a good Spring, Adrienne has been busy in the gardens, pruning trees & preparing seed beds for planting. It’s also good to see the wood pigeons returning & the first of the rhododendron’s coming into flower.

With good forward bookings and plenty of ongoing projects, there is plenty to look forward to and life at Mt Nicholas continues to be extremely enjoyable.

January 2009 News Archive

It’s hard to believe we are still in the same place, this time last year, we had virtually no rain from early December until April and as a consequence, grass growth was virtually nil and what grass we did have had burnt off. This year as been the exact opposite, regular rainfall with good sunshine in between and the resulting growth has been phenomenal.

While the rain has been good for growth, the rivers have been affected and there have been quite a few days were fishing hasn’t been possible but the good days have made up for it with very good results.

A few changes have occurred with staff  on the Station,  Kate,  ( Robert & Linda’s ) daughter & her husband Jack, have taken up the role of manager, which has allowed Davey to take time out to further his flying career and Ben has returned  to join Rochelle, our other new shepherd.  In addition to that, Jamarl & Amy have joined the team as handy man & cook.

The prolific flowers around the garden were an attraction to the many native birds we have living around us and I spent a bit of time attempting to get a few photos.

As part of the ongoing management of the Station, the Butson Family recently entered the Otago Environmental Awards as a means of gauging how they were balancing the commercial requirements of the property with the natural environment. This was a very comprehensive process that examined all aspects of the operation and it was very satisfying to be recognised with The Otago Regional Council Sustainable Resource Management Award.

With Global Warming & Carbon Footprints being hot topics, guests at Mt Nicholas can be reassured that this is an environmentally friendly place to be.

As part of this plan, Adrienne has put a lot of work into the large vegetable garden that supplies all of the station and the results have been amazing, not only have we been enjoying a large variety of organically grown vegetables but also strawberry’s, raspberry’s and cherries. The apples, pears, peaches, apricots and plums won’t be far away! When you add the home grown lamb, beef, wild venison & free range eggs, life simply doesn’t get much better than this.

After nearly 2 years here, we are slowly starting to find our way around the property and when time permits we try to explore a different area, this normally involves a 4-5 hour trek and while the views are fantastic, stalking wildlife with a camera is also a great pastime.

 

It’s hard to believe that Adrienne and I have now been at Mt Nicholas for nearly 18 months and are now looking forward to our second Spring and Summer.

While winter was reasonably dry, it wasn’t without its challenges with two very heavy snowfalls which closed our road out for several days and created some very long days for Robert, Dave, Ben & Pete, who had to attend to stock,  that was in some cases, trapped by large snow drifts. The scenic contrasts that follow these heavy falls are incredible, especially at sunrise & sunset when the rays of sunlight reflect off the snow capped tops and create amazing colours.

The Snow also saw a flurry of activity from the Heli Skiers who took full advantage of the fresh untouched powder, even Pete managed a bit of R&R and tested out his jumping skills on a nearby slope.

Another casualty of the snow was a planned filming of a new Disney TV Series called Legend of The Seeker. The twelve cowboys who were to stay with us, were unable to get their horses in so these scenes had to be relocated although the company still managed to get some filming on the station.

In the lodge, we continue to meet, and have the pleasure of hosting, some wonderful people, all who come here for a variety of reasons. Mark, Emma and friends from Australia,  decided that getting married on a snow capped mountain and spending a night with us would be a great way to start married life together and it certainly proved to be a real winner.

We also had the pleasure of taking Arlene & David, from the USA, on a day trip through to Milford Sound. It had been some time since Adrienne & I had been there and we had both forgotten just how incredibly majestic  this part of our country is and we would certainly recommend that all our guests include a Milford Trip as part of their visit to New Zealand.

September is a very busy time, over 8,000 ewes have been shorn and put out into mobs for lambing and the shearers will be back soon to start on the rest of the sheep, only about 19,000 to go! There is also ongoing work with cattle to attend to and while spring growth is helping , feeding out is still ongoing.

All Adrienne’s  spare time is spent preparing the extensive vegetable gardens for spring planting and while a lot of work is required, there is nothing more satisfying than being able to harvest fresh vege’s and fruit from your own garden.

With October only a few weeks away, the start of a new fishing season is nearly here and although there is a bit of snow melt in the rivers it shouldn’t take long to clear and we can look forward to another good season.

All of the Red Stags have now cast their antlers and the fallow Bucks should start casting theirs in the next month. It’s interesting finding the cast antlers as it gives a good indication of what's out there.
With  good forward bookings for the coming season, we have plenty to look forward to and continue to  enjoy this incredible place.

June 2008
 
Its hard to believe that the shortest day is only a few weeks away and while there has been a couple of snow falls on the tops, the weather remains relatively settled and mild.
 
Although the main crop of vegetables has finished we still have cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli and a very good crop of yams to look forward to.
Adrienne is now preparing the vacant plots for Spring planting using the organic compost made over the last 6 months.
The colours of Autumn this year have been incredible with some of the trees around the lodge still dropping leaves and as a result, parts of the lawn resemble a vibrant multi coloured carpet.
The flower gardens are also getting  a winter tidy up and fed with sheep manure and mulched leaves. An abundance of spare daffodil  bulbs have also been planted beside the drive which leads up to the lodge, this should provide some spectacular colour in the Spring.
 
Settled fine weather in May ensured the annual Fall Muster went very well with the boys putting in some very long days. Robert put his culinary skills to the test and took on the role of camp cook and from all reports he excelled in all departments.
During this time all of the sheep were crutched and inoculated in preparation for mating.
 
This is a busy time on the station and with the sheep out of the way it was then onto the cattle with weaning, tagging and inoculation to get finished.
The next few months will be spent managing the rotation of stock to fully utilise the available winter feed.
 
We have also been busy in the lodge and again have enjoyed the company of both new and returning guests. The visit of Jack Jr & Cindy Atcheson, Marc & Cheryl Hansen & Dave Lomas from the USA was a lot of fun as they were here for 8 days and were able to experience a great deal of what Mt Nicholas has to offer.
 
So far this season, the hunting has been very good with a lot of animals being seen and some good trophies taken.
We were also fortunate to experience some excellent fishing at the Von River mouth, as spawning fish started to migrate up the river. These were in excellent condition and provided some great sport.
 
The other notable recent highlight was attending the annual Wapiti Ball held in Te Anau, always good to see the ladies in their evening gowns and putting on a suit and tie for the first time in over 12 months, wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, overall a very enjoyable night.

March 2008

Over the last two months we have enjoyed the company of guests from the USA, China, Ireland and New Zealand and one of the many highlights has been the after dinner conversations where we have the opportunity to discover so much about other  people and their countries.
We also hosted a large group  from  Icebreaker  who spent a night here after many of them had been involved  with the Motatapu Endurance Event.
On the farming front, Robert, Dave,  Ben  and Pete have been busy with ongoing stock work and completing  new fencing. Most of the sheep are now on the back country and will be bought back down to the lower country in the Fall Muster. While the continuing warm days are enjoyable, the lack of rain continues to make planning stock movements challenging.

 
Adrienne and I recently walked over the Canada Saddle to the North Von Muster's Hut where we stayed the night. This walk, which is reasonably challenging, provides a great opportunity to enjoy the diverse and spectacular scenery that Mt Nicholas has to offer. The hut is located close to the north branch of the Von River and faces west, catching the late afternoon sun, this peaceful setting is an ideal place to forget the rest of the world exists.

The vegetable garden continues to provide an abundance of fresh produce and the plums, apples, pears  and apricots from the fruit trees have been a real treat. Sally, the goat, has thrived in her new environment and now has the run of the land surrounding the lodge. She also has developed a very healthy appetite for fresh vegetables and fruit. The roar of the Red Stags can now be heard in the early morning and at night and this signals not only the start of the hunting season but also the onset of Autumn and while life at Mt Nicholas is full of change, every day has a little bit of magic!

Summer Time Magic – January 2008

It’s hard to believe that Christmas has passed and we are nearly through the first month of 2008.
Adrienne successfully completed her 5th Kepler Mountain Run and while this was supposed to be the last, already there is talk of doing 1 more!
While Christmas is normally a time spent with family, for Adrienne and I, being at Mt Nicholas over this time was a new experience and we were very fortunate to have enjoyed the company of some really nice guests from the San Francisco and London.
While the weather was a bit patchy, both parties were able to experience a very memorable Scenic Heli Flight to Milford Sound as well as relaxing in this amazing environment.

Overall the weather has been dryer than normal and while feed management on the station has been challenging, hay for winter feed has been made and all the team recently spent a day filling the large wood shed with fire wood for the winter.

The settled weather also allowed, Robert, the station owner and I to get in a bit of fishing and both the Oreti and Mararoa Rivers proved successful and the long summer evenings provided an ideal opportunity to watch the wild deer with their new fawns.

December was also the release date for the family fantasy movie, “ The Water Horse”. A large part of this was filmed on location at Mt Nicholas Station and show cases the spectacular scenery and environment we live in. The movie has received very good reviews and from all accounts is certainly worth watching.

The vege gardens continue to provide an abundance of fresh produce and Adrienne has made a variety of berry jams.
With the number of enquiries about the lodge increasing, we look forward to the opportunity of sharing our home with future guests.

Vege Gardens, Goats, Fish and much more...... November 2007

Life has been extremely busy, while the weather has been patchy we are starting to get into a more settled pattern, very little rain, the odd windy day and some very warm temperatures.

Adrienne’s organic vegetable garden has taken off and already we are enjoying fresh produce. The fruit trees and berry bushes are looking really good and should provide plenty of fruit in the new year. A new arrival at the lodge is Sally the Goat, she was amongst a mob of sheep brought in from the hills for shearing and has very quickly adapted to her new environment.

With the warmer weather, grass growth is starting to catch up on what was a fairly slow start to Spring. New lambs and calves are plentiful and pastures are able to be prepared for crops.

The indifferent Spring weather also had an effect on the early season trout fishing with heavy rainfall discolouring the rivers and cool winds keeping activity fairly quite. However over the last few weeks, with very little rainfall, the rivers are coming right and indications are that the season will be very good. A recent trip to the Oreti,( just for a look), resulted in a nice 6lb Brown Trout and sightings of several much larger fish, while a few hours fishing on the Von provided 8 Rainbow Trout, all landed and released.
Adrienne has been in training to compete in the 62 km Kepler Challenge Mountain Run and as part of her training has incorporated an overnight tramp out through the North Von which was, by all accounts, a great trip.
The wild Free Range deer have cast their antlers and are in velvet, watching these animals in their natural environment is always very enjoyable.

The bathroom renovations in the lodge are now complete and the garden is full of new growth and colour. Life at Mt Nicholas is great and living here is certainly a privilege.

 

Early Spring at Mt Nicholas - September 2007

Typically at this time of year, the weather settles into a pattern of unpredictability. A recent heavy 24 hour period of rain caused a 200metre washout of our access road but in typical southern fashion, Robert, the station owner, cleared an alternative route which was later upgraded by the local Road Company. While we are still experiencing frosty mornings, the days are warming up and spring growth on trees and shrubs is becoming evident as is an increase in bird activity. It especially pleasing to see a return of the Kakariki (native parrot), together with bellbirds, fantails and wood pigeons.

The organic vegetable garden plot that Adrienne began planning in the winter, is now complete and ready for planting and guests visiting us throughout the summer will be assured of a plentiful supply of fresh home grown vegetables and fruit.

September is also the time when shearing of the merino sheep begins and over the next 2 weeks, several thousand will pass through the stations shearing shed with the majority of the wool being destined for manufacturing into the next seasons Ice Breaker Garments.

Other farm activities include the breaking in of new horses for Dave & Ben, topdressing grass pastures and sorting ewes into mobs for lambing. In the lodge, we have just completed a refurbishment of one of the bedrooms and are currently planning a bathroom upgrade.

With the trophy hunting season now behind us, we are now looking forward to the fishing season and while I am sorting out the spots for some early season action, Adrienne plans to explore some of the tramping options that Mt Nicholas has to offer.