Day 9 Sheep World and Mangawhai Head to Waipu Cove

We had some rain last night so it was damp this morning when are got up.  The day started out overcast with the temperature around the same as the previous days.  High 50’s low 60’s F. 

Our first stop this morning was Sheep World which was just a short way up the road from  Sandspit where we stayed last night and Warkworth where we got back on the main highway.

Sheep Worlds main attraction is the working dogs that gather and corral the sheep.  There are a couple of different kinds of dogs that have been bred specifically to work the sheep.  It was very interesting to watch them work even if it was in a small space.  It would have been fantastic to see them in a larger arena and watch them from afar.






After the dog show there was a sheep shearing demonstration.  The fella that did the shearing was fairly fast but we were amazed to learn that the record for shearing an adult sheep was 14.2 seconds.  Truly an art and one that may be dying out as it now costs more to get the wool off of the animal than they can sell it for.  Today the money in sheep is in the meat.  We also learned that there are over 35 different types of sheep, some of them raised for their wool, but most of them raised for their meat.

There were also a few other animals at Sheep World with one of them being an Alpaca. 

This, I think I would be safe to say, is the only place in the world that has pink sheep.  Yup pink sheep.



Yup, Pink Sheep



It turns out they use a harmless vegetable die to draw attention of the complex.  It still is pretty surprising when you first drive in.

Upon leaving Sheep World we continued north on Hwy # 1 until we came to Wellsford where we stopped for lunch.  We have discovered their fabulous single serving meat pies and they are served everywhere.  Every little town has a bakery or two where you can get them.  They have steak, steak and kidney, chicken and mince, they even have bacon and egg pies.  It’s going to take a lot of hiking to counteract the effects these pies will have on my waistline.

It was recommended that we make a detour off of Hwy # 1 and make the drive from Mangawhai Heads up to Waipu Cove.   I believe it is part of the Discovery Coast Highway and it runs through Mangawhai Heads, Langs Beach and Waipu Cove.  It is a twisting, turning, up and down narrow roadway that is mostly inland but makes it way to the coast at each of the three towns.  There you will find stunning beaches at all three spots.  We stopped at Managawhai Heads and climbed the bluffs to get an overview of the beach and take a few pictures.  We then went for a long walk on the beach and in spite of the wind it was very pleasant.  There was also some picture taking.



Omaha Beach as seen from Bluff looking South




Omaha Beach as seen from Bluff looking North



Cutie on the Beach





Finger Island as seen from the Bluff




Finger Island as seen from the Beach




Tree on Langs Beach



It was getting late when we left Mangawhai Heads so we headed north which first took us through Langs Beach.  We did a quick stop but did not stay long before heading up to Waipu Cove where we decided to stay the night.  We plan to have a look at and walk the beach tomorrow.