Cattle Mustering in the Rangitata Valley

Today I did the mail run to Mesopotamia with my godson. Although I was only at the head of the valley on Saturday, this is the first time I've travelled the 100km round trip as a temporary postie for a little while. 

On our trip we were also joined by a young friendly Belgian tramper who is walking the Te Araroa trail from Ship's Cove to Bluff. The Rakaia and the Rangitata are the only points in the South Island where trampers need to come off the trail to cross the river and then head back to the trailhead inland, so he was pleased to have a lift back to join the trail at Mesopotamia.

On the way back from Messy, young Mr C and I stopped for a snack just past Forest Creek in the shadow of the Harper Range. As we ate, these guys were doing the hard yards out on the river margins, herding this very jittery mob of cattle , calves and a stroppy bull up towards the road, ready to be moved on to another paddock.

In the extras you'll see the yards just by the gate to this paddock, done with a bit of a moody treatment.