Helicopters and Deer? Peanut Butter and Dolphins?
On the way to Wanaka we stopped at a little museum in the middle of nowhere called the Bushman’s Center. We paid our 4 bucks and went inside to watch a film on the deer farming industry of New Zealand. Our host in the museum, a colorful character with a big, graying beard, told us that we were going to watch a homemade film about the way they used to capture deer “Back in the good old days when men were men and the sheep were scared.” He warned us that if there are any “Bambi-lovers” there would be shooting and general deer violence throughout the film.
He started to play it and it actually turned out to be a well-made film. When venison hit the over a dollar a pound mark, the New Zealanders had the idea of starting farms to make a large profit. They had to capture the deer to fill the farms so they hired all the helicopters that were available, rode them right in close to a running deer, and then jumped onto the deer’s back and wrestled it to the ground. It was one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen. I was totally intrigued. They literally jumped and rode the thing to the ground and then hogtied it and attached it to the helicopter. They would have over ten deer hanging from the helicopter at a time as they passed the ironically beautiful, tranquil countryside of New Zealand. When the movie finished we got to meet the wild pig that lives at the Bushman’s Center. The guide told one of the German guys that he was in charge of feeding a piece of bread to the pig and that he should be really careful because he is a live, wild pig that can literally rip him apart. Our bus driver Philipa opened the gate and after some whistling and coaxing the most enormous black pig wandered on in. Rolfe, the German guy, said “Sit!” and the pig did!! It munched on the bread, reminding me the whole time of the puppet Alf.
A few of the people on the bus tried some of the “delicacies” that the Bushman cafe had to offer, like possum pie. Two of the guys actually ate two pies each, saying that it tasted like “chicken with coriander.” I had an orange juice.
We rode into Wanaka after passing over 27 one-lane bridges and driving through numerous mountain valleys. As we reached town Philipa told us some of the history of the lake and the Maori legend of how it came into existence. She also told us that we could feed the dolphins if we went down to the edge of the lake with white bread and peanut butter. “They can smell it a mile away,” she said. I was skeptical (and it turns out that she was kidding–she told us the next morning). Wanaka was a great little ski town. Stunning mountains are constantly framing every building in the town and there were lots of great cafes and organic smoothie and food stores. Some of our group went to see some comedians in the evening but I opted for going to the famous Cinema Paradiso on the edge of town. I made a stop at the Red Star Gourmet Burger place and had the most delicious burger, fries, and shake since I’ve been away from the U.S. They even baked the buns fresh and used aioli instead of bland mayonnaise. I got to the theatre and went in to grab a seat. They had a yellow volkswagen IN the theatre with actual seats in it. Since I was by myself I didn’t want to take the seats in the car. The movie (The Bank Job) started and halfway through they stopped the movie and everyone went out into the lobby to buy the fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. It was such a strange, “local” experience. The cookie was absolutely incredible–thicker and puffier than the traditional American variety. I really enjoyed the movie and the whole experience with the famous “cookie intermission”. I think the U.S. could learn a thing or two about how to do movie concessions!
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