Memories of Traveling with Don

Click, click, click….this is the sound we heard as we traveled the back roads of South Island, New Zealand, some years ago.  The little car, already on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, became engulfed in animals.  Sheep, sheep, sheep, a few hundred of them anyway, surrounded the car.  Don slowed to a crawl, afraid to go any faster, aware of the hooves of the woolie ones.

Outside all the car windows, including the windshield, were black eyes staring out at us, and pink mouths lined in black, chewing.  Do you think we were scared?  The sheep were being watched by a shepherd, who tended his flock by means of an ATV and a boom box.  The clicking we heard were the sounds of the hooves on the road, but no sound came from the sheep, just chewing, walking with the clicks, and staring into the car windows.  We did not panic because, well, they were sheep…vegetarians.  

This adventure lasted just a few minutes, and then one of the woolies walked out to the head of the flock.   He must have found a particularly tasty crop of grass up the hill beside us and led the pack to the top of the hill away from our car.  The sheep willingly followed their leader because…..well, they were sheep.

New Zealand is a magical place and so very, very green.  It had been on the top of my bucket list, and Don and I vowed to return someday.  That someday came and went, and we regret we did not find the time or resources to finish filling our bucket list.