The Agrodome, Rotorua

After our trip to Te Puia we headed over to the Agrodome to see the Sheep Sheering Show. We knew there would be other things to see, but we didn't realize how many entertaining things there would be at this attraction.



Gemma and Angus jumped on the sheep dog as soon as we arrived.



And then on the Kiwi!!



Angus was waiting patiently for the farm tour to begin.



Our first stop was to feed the ostriches and emus. I have to say interacting with the animals is always a highlight of any trip for me.



They also have an organic farm in the Agrodome where they grow kiwis, olives, and feijoa. This picture is of the kiwi vines. It is summer here, so you can see the small fruits on the vines which will be ready for picking in a couple months.



We also got to see this deer which has over bred itself in New Zealand. They now raise them for the velvet from their antlers to make medicine and for their meat. Here are a few of the deer resting in the pasture.

On a side note it has been wonderful to see all of the sheep and cows in the pastures grazing across the country. I rarely see that even in my home state of Nebraska.



Angus and Lily checking out the sheep and alpacas.

They also had alpacas which I absolutely adore! Their coats are so soft and it makes the most divine wool for knitting. There was on alpaca that was quite friend and I was able to run my fingers through its wool a few times.



Three very sweet alpacas.



We also saw several varieties of cows. The black one is none other than the Black Angus!



Here is a gorgeous Highland Cow that came to New Zealand from Scotland.



The sheep sheering show was extremely entertaining and also a tongue twister (you don't even want to know what Jonny kept calling it!). The sheep shearer brought out 20 different varieties of sheep to the stage. I didn't even know there were that many and that probably would explain why I thought all the sheep in Ireland looked so different from our American sheep! The sheep that was in the top row center was a Merino sheep, which has almost as divine of wool as an alpaca.



The Sheep Shearer and his victim. They put them on their back to shear so they cannot get away.



It took him about 2 minutes to shear one sheep and he will receive US$1.75 for the wool off 1 sheep.



Jonny and a Drysdale.

I was extremely impressed with the Agrodome and would highly recommend it to anyone who was visiting Rotorua. I think as a knitter you really can appreciate a place like this, but it is also great for city kids to see how things are done on the farm.