Friday Fences - New Zealand Sheep Farm and Gardens

This week I thought I might share some rather insignificant fences in New Zealand, whose landscapes are as varied and fabulous as the fences are common. These photos are from a 2004 garden tour of both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Today's photos were taken on the South Island. Here we're driving on the east coast of the South Pacific near Christchurch. These fences were for cattle and sheep. In the background you see the snowcaps of the Southern Alps.
To get to the farm and garden we were visiting (Waipapa Clarence Bridge) we drove through the Clarence River valley. You can still see the Southern Alps in the background. I think this whole area looks rather "Lord of the Rings", don't you?

The farmhouse was surrounded by pastures dotted with sheep as far as you could see, their movements controlled by simple fences and a whole contingent of hard-working border collies:

Here's another view of the sheep pastures and mountains that seemed to have just erupted from the earth.

This is the farmhouse that is over 100 years old. An artist owned the house and also designed the garden. Can you imagine how much enjoyment the owners must get from sitting out on this wraparound veranda enjoying the mountain views?

The gardens were formal with tightly clipped boxwood edging. The beds were crammed with primarily yellow flowering perennials accented with dramatic purple dinosaur sized spires whose names are a mystery to me.

Yes, I'll admit that the fences were not the star of this show, but I thought you may enjoy some scenes from this mythic countryside. For more fences of all kinds and the stories that go with them, be sure to visit Janis at Life According to Jan and Jer for a list of the Friday Fence players.