Country calendar: woolsheds

Milking sheds, I know intimately; the headlights of a farmbike illuminating mysterious valleys in the darkness before dawn, herding the old moos, working the pumps, tuning the transistor to the Concert Programme to soothe yourself and the beasts, the whole place reeking of wet pooh and spilt milk; but of woolsheds, I know nuzzink, not ever set foot inside once, am a stranger to the wool of the beasts and the holy ritual of the woolshed smoko. But like anyone with sight I have forever been dazed and amazed by how great they look. Some are as epic as stadiums. Some are masterpieces of beam and pitch. All are classic New Zealand spaces, the first buildings of the New Zealand mind, hives of the New Zealand experience. Fifteen especially grandiose or charming woolsheds feature in the new illustrated coffee table book Woolsheds: The Historic Shearing Sheds of Aotearoa New Zealand by Jane Ussher & Annette O’Sullivan (Massey University Press, $85). It’s one of the best books of the year and a free copy was up for grabs in last week’s giveaway contest staged by ReadingRoom. To enter, readers were asked to send in a photo of a woolshed. Some of the best feature as below. The winner will be announced on Friday.
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Photo by Geoff Blackmore, of the shed on his family farm at Lawrence, Otago.
Geoff writes, “It used to be an old Army Drill hall and was transported 10km from the local town. Our family has farmed here  since 1951 and the shed has always been there.”
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Photo by Wayne Larsen, of a shed at Cape Egmont, Taranaki.
Wayne writes, “I just loved the colour on the shed as the sun set.”
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Photo by Margaret Cochrane, of the huge Langdale Woolshed of the 1870s.
Margaret writes, “It is slowly returning to the earth. When the station was subdivided by government acquisition after WW1, the shed was downsized and materials donated to other buildings.”
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Photo by Emmily Harmer, of a shed  in Cheviot.
Emily writes, “It’s been owned by the McClintocks since the 60s. Graham McClintock was very big into horses and was well-known in the district. Louisa now my sister-in-law farms it with her husband.”
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Photo by Ian Hankin, of a shed on the Sandymount Track which leads to Lovers Leap south of Hoopers Inlet on the Otago Peninsula.
Ian writes, “There’s a haunting short avenue of trees along the track which if they haven’t formed a backdrop in a murder mystery, they should! The shed doesn’t look in ruin but I haven’t been there for several years.” He added, “I was living in Masterton in the late 1990s and remember a piece you wrote about a man who ate a fish supper every day at a local tearoom.”
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Photo by Stacey Nicholas, of her shed at Terracedale in Marlborough.
Stacey writes, “I’d love to enter your competition I saw on our local wool page. We still operate out of our shed and do shearing from there and I also operate a florist from the side that had a new addition on it many years ago (where the fadges of wool used to be stored).” Hm. “Fadges”!
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Photo by Scarlett Hopcraft, of a shed in Lindis Pass on a family station run by the Emersons.
Scarlett writes, “I live there and my partner works on it. They run ultra fine merino sheep.”
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Photo by Malcolm Somerville, of a shed at Wreys Bush, Highway 96, Winton district.
Malcolm writes, “We are currently in Southland from Wellington (long story) and were near Winton when we spotted the woolshed. It is in the heart of traditional sheep country but much is being ‘lost’ to dairying.”
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Photo by Jane Lobb, of a shed on the Kuriheka Estate, inland from Oamaru.
Jane writes, “It’s private property but has a road running through and we spent an hour or so in February taking photos. A highlight of our South Island road trip.”
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Photo by Pauline Cowan, of a shed on Pukehangi Rd, Rotorua, near the horse paddocks.
Pauline writes, “The Hunts have farmed there for many years. It’s sad because that end of Pukehangi Rd is being developed for housing and it is a beautiful place, nice for walking and close to the suburbs.”
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Photo by Trish Faulkner, of the abandoned shed at Benmore Run, one of the largest properties in Otago during the 1870s.
Trish writes, “There is a story that Benmore Run was so named after two men, both claiming rights to the land, raced horses over a distance of one mile to determine who should own the property. Ronald McMurdo, who was born in Benmore, Scotland, won.
“The historic woolshed, dating from about 1866 and in use up until 1996, is visited by cyclists on the Alps-to-Ocean cycle route so is quite well known now but unfortunately the site was officially closed by DoC after damage from strong winds in October 2020. It lies just inside the Ahuriri Conservation Park.
“The site can be reached by vehicle as it is at the end of the Quailburn Road just past the last homestead, Ribbonwood, about 25km NW from Omarama. Lack of funds means that DoC seems sadly unable to protect the site from further damage. I do not know what the future holds.”
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Photo by Hanneke Kroon, of a shed at Elie Bay in the Pelorus Sound.

Hanneke writes, “Mike Gerard and his son Will run the farm, and organise the yearly Hopai Sports Day on their farm. The next one on January 4, 2025 will mark Year 102. There are egg and spoon races, bag races, legs tied together races and many more. The most prestigious race is the He Man and She Man, which starts with a swim, followed by a run over steep terrain. There is also gumboot throwing, a demonstration by wood choppers and tug of war.”
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Photo by Fay McAlpine, of the historic woolshed at Mason Bay, Rakiura/ Stewart Island.
Fay writes, “William Walker was the first to take up the lease in 1884. It was a tough life. Wood and freshwater were not easily procured. Income was made from wool alone in the early years, and subsidised with deer and possum skins in the final decades.
“The last leasees Tim and Ngaire Te Aika farmed there from 1966-85.
“Visitors are welcome to walk around the buildings. Near the homestead are the remains of the vegetable garden and a number of old macrocarpa windbreak trees. Dog kennels sit in the shelter of one of these windbreaks.”
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Photo by Tim Saunders, of a shed at Glen Oroua, near Feilding.
Tim writes, “It was built in 1898, using timber milled on the farm. It has been in my family for five generations.
“The steep roof is unusual – it was designed to stop snow from settling. The winters of 1897 and 1898 were incredibly harsh. Snow blanketed the entire country, ships were frozen and trapped in the Southern Ocean, livestock perished. Many farmers walked off the land – only the tough remained. These are the people who have worked in the woolshed over the last 126 years. The shed has seen thousands of people sweat and swear in its cavernous gut during this time. Hundreds of thousands of sheep have been dragged across its boards – the lanolin has worn the timber smooth. Interestingly, it has only ever snowed here once since the shed was built.
“The woolshed was featured on Country Calendar a few years ago. After the show aired, I was inundated with emails from old shearers who had worked in the shed. Many of them were in their 80s and 90s, some scattered around the world. They all wanted to share their memories of working here, how they still remember the light and laughter, the smell, the ambience, the companionship. It touched me to know that a building can become so important to so many people. The woolshed is a lasting monument to the people who provide food and fibre to the world.”

Many thanks to everyone who entered to win a copy of Woolsheds: The Historic Shearing Sheds of Aotearoa New Zeakand by Jane Ussher & Annette O’Sullivan (Massey University Press, $85), available as an ideal Xmas present in bookstores nationwide.