Kazakhstan adventure ‘‘like a movie’’
Wolves, below freezing temperatures and being put on a Soviet spy watch list are all in a day’s work for adventurer Chloe Phillips-Harris.
The Kawakawa woman has recently returned from former Soviet republic Kazakhstan, where she was employed by an oil tycoon to manage his new business investment into beef farming for six months.
Upon arriving in the country Phillips-Harris was detained for 48 hours and interrogated on suspicion of being a Soviet spy.
‘‘They thought New Zealand was a state of Australia and that I needed an Australian passport.’’
Matters weren’t helped by the fact that the world map in the interrogation room did not picture New Zealand, she says.
Once she was released, she had to have her passport re-stamped every two weeks to maintain her visa.
Phillips-Harris, 28, and her Australian partner (and vet) Campbell were tasked with managing 7000 imported cattle over 20,000 hectares.
Kazakhstan has every big cattle disease, she says, and no modern vaccination or veterinary programmes.
‘‘The first month it was like running a cattle hospital with them on drips and trying to keep them alive.’’
Bagera, a central Asian shepherd, accompanied PhillipsHarris on many adventures.
‘‘Kazakhstan has more wolves than any other country and these dogs help to protect stock from them.
‘‘Bagera had just been having puppies and living under an army tank for three years when I found her. She was a great life saver for me, she chased a snake away and protected me from foxes and feral dogs.’’
While it was Phillips-Harris’ first time in Kazakhstan, she has travelled to nearby Mongolia, which she says helped prepare her for the challenges of living in remote countries with extreme climates.
’’It was an awesome adventure, I think Kazakhstan is the most stunning country I have ever been to.
‘‘We could be mustering on horseback, our herds 2500m up into the mountains, we just got out and a blizzard came through, the cowboys would be chasing the wolves away.
‘‘It was like something out of a movie.’’