Taranaki winter tough for agriculture student from Costa Rica
Raising a lamb has been a highlight for a Costa Rican university student who moved to Taranaki to work on a dairy farm this season.
Carina Chaves has been undertaking four months of practical work on Trewithen Farm at Tikorangi to complete the Bachelor of Agricultural Science she’s studying at the University of Costa Rica. Trewithen Farm is owned by Faull Farms and operated by 50/50 sharemilkers Tony and Loie Penwarden, a partnership that won the inaugural Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards in 2014.
When Loie realised there were no sheep on the hot humid of the Caribbean island of Costa Rica, she arranged a special gift for her guest who was thrilled at the opportunity to raise an orphan lamb. Named Watermelon, the lamb wore a nappy – with a hole for its tail – and spent most of its short life inside, snuggling up with its owner when she watched television.
Watermelon lived only two months, succumbing to a puncture wound caused by a stick.
Winter proved a shock for Chaves, who said the farm, where 1200 cows are milked year-round on a 282ha milking platform, was far bigger than she expected.
The 25-year-old said the hot climate of her home was in sharp contrast to a Taranaki winter, so getting used to the cold was her biggest challenge. Although she brought with her what she thought were warm clothes, she soon found they were not suitable.
Getting used to what she said was hard work was tough, especially the 4am starts for milking.
Loie has noted a big improvement in Carina’s English and said she was always willing to learn new tasks. ‘‘She’s become part of the family,’’ she said.
During her stay, Carina has enjoyed visiting Taranaki’s tourist spots and the South Island for a few days.
She will make a presentation about her work in New Zealand when she returns to Costa Rica at the end of next month. Uncertain of her future plans, she said she might continue her studies and undertake a masters’ degree.