High Country River Crossing

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31001, 5 March 1966, Page 8

High Country River Crossing

(Specially written by

B. N. CLEMENS]

Undoubtedly one of the most difficult high country sheep stations in New Zealand to muster is Mr Arthur Urquhart’s 60,000-acre Erewhon station in Mid-Canterbury. It involves some of the highest climbing over steep, precipitous faces to bring down sheep from 6000 ft and more on the mountain slopes, and as well, turbulent, ice-fed rivers pose a constant problem for the station at every summer muster. Many of the 9000 sheep on the run have to be brought across one of these forbidding rivers to the homestead block at this time each year for shearing.

The river crossing involves! the erection of temporary i bridges over which the sheep! are coaxed, in single file,] sometimes for several hours i until a whole mob of perhaps 2000 or 3000 head have! crossed. The Erewhon homestead, woolshed, and other buildlings are at the junction of ithe Clyde and Havelock I rivers. These join forces to ! form the Rangitata, one of I the major snow-fed rivers of i Canterbury. Most of the station country is in the Clyde and Havelock watersheds, ranging to within a few miles of the main divide. It is the Clyde river which cuts off this extensive sheep country from the homestead. The swift-flowing river, milky-white from the large hanging glaciers and icefalls from which it starts its journey to the sea. is at its highest about shearing time because of the summer thawing of snow and ice. A hot, fine day in the mountains can cause an appreciable rise in the rivers just as certainly as heavy rainfall. To get his sheep across the Clyde for shearing Mr Urquhart has to put in quickly constructed temporary bridges and approaches over the river. One bridge is built on top of a log which spans the main stream. The other is a 70-year-old horse-waggon with extended decking which is positioned in the middle of one of the lesser streams.

Because the Clyde changes course in its mile-wide riverbed nearly every year it is necessary to select different crossing places for each muster For the shearing muster

this New Year, however, the river relented by providing two suitable bridge crossing places near the homestead paddocks. A tractor with blade, and a light bulldozer, are used to set up the bridges. A large tree trunk, forked at one end to prevent it rolling when sheep are crossing the finished structure, is towed across to span the main river. The banks on either side are built up so that the middle of the “bridge” does not touch the [surging water—a frightening experience for sheep when crossing. When the log is in position, sections of wooden decking are bolted to it, and post and wire sides are erected. The waggon is set up in similar fashion, if a sizeable secondary stream makes its use necessary, by being towed into the middle of the stream. The waggon’s own sides and deck make an excellent bridge, and it supports the short spans to each bank. Wire netting approaches are run out from the entry side of each bridge to lead the sheep in. The whole task of erecting the bridges takes the station hands and musterers only a few hours. Shortly before the New Year the bridges were in place ready for a mob of 3000 hoggets and wethers to be mustered off steep country across the river next day. Late in the afternoon heavy

north-westerly rain set in. It continued throughout the night. In the small hours of, the next morning Mr Urquhart had to make a hard de-I cision. “Pull the bridges out.”l

in the cold, grey, rain-swept riverbed, in the first light of dawn, the station hands set about the unenviable task of dismantling both structures, and towing them away. “It happens nearly every year.” Mr Urquhart laughed it off. The rain cleared about mid-morning, and the river never rose. But the risks in

holding off, hoping that the rain will ease and the river | keep its level, are far too great. Rapidly rising floodi waters could wash away the ; bridges and seriously delay

the shearing. The bridges were put in again next day and the sheep brought down to a large holding paddock ready for the crossing. Before daylight the I next morning the musterers and sheepdogs were out bringing the sheep off the paddock and across the riverbed. Then the main task began.

The main mob of sheep has to be held several hundred yards from the bridge while small mobs of a few hundred are mustered up to the bridge and driven across. Some stubborn animals have to be coaxed across, and it jis often necessary to pull one i unwilling sheep across to start the mob off. Usually this jis al) that is necessary to set the others following, in single [file, while the musterers keep [the flock closely packed at the entrance to maintain the flow of sheep. When one mob has crossed another is cut out from the main flock and the whole procedure is re-

peated. Too big a mob could cause crushing of the sheep at the bridge approach and the collapse of the temporary holding fences, with the front sheep pushed by weight of numbers into the river. After the main bridge was crossed the old horse waggon, relic of the earliest period of station transport, once again had its brief moment of glory. The main flock of sheep was held some distance away while smaller mobs made the crossing. The whole operation went off without a hitch, and all the sheep were across both bridges in about six hours. It is not always like that, however, and Mr Urquhart has experienced many hazards in this job. Several times his sheep have been stranded by quickly rising waters on an island between the two bridges. Sheep have also panicked and broken down

the sides of a bridge to fall

into the river and drown. Other pitfalls have been the “damming” effect of thousands of sheeps’ legs when the flocks are being taken through ever minor sidestreams only a few inches deep. The solid wall of hooves has sometimes caused the water to back up quickly, with fatal consequences for some sheep.

As soon as the recent muster was completed work began immediately on dismantling the bridges. That afternoon torrential rain set in and the river rose quickly—but the bridge materials were safely stowed away. At a later stage of the shearing, however, the “waggon” bridge was trapped by quickly rising water- and is at present half-buried in shingle awaiting the approach of autumn and lower river levels to be bulldozed free. It must be no . consolation to Mr Urquhart whatever to see, each winter, the Clyde river dry up completely for several months because of the heavy snowfalls and freezing up of the alpine watersheds. Although the temptation is there, shearing at that time is out of the question.