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Plumbing Services GALLERy

- Salmon Fishing & Distillery -

3rd June 2022 Golden Bay

The team at Plumbing Services enjoyed a Team Day out fishing at Anatoki Salmon Farm in Golden Bay.  

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We arrived and settled in with a nice relaxing coffee in the sunshine, stroll around the ponds, and read of the information panels displayed which do a great job explaining the processes of the Salmon Farm.

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We kitted up and got instruction from the team at Anatoki Salmon and diligently chose our spots.  Some of us chose the sunny side of the pond, and were soon shedding layers as the sun beat down on us, and hoping that the fish were looking for some sun also. 

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It seemed like not more than 15 minutes later the first catch was made, and a quick succession of catches followed.  With everyone getting at least one fish. We took them in to be smoked and enjoyed some for lunch and took some home to be shared with the families.   The hardest decision was what seasoning to put with them, so we got a little of everything.

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One of our team managed to catch a female salmon who had matured prematurely and was full of roe.  No one was brave enough to eat the roe, and the fish was designated compost. Meanwhile another member of the team showed us how his drone worked.

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After we had enjoyed our salmon and had a look at the eels we departed and regrouped at the Dancing Sands Distillery in Takaka.  There we did a little tasting, a little purchasing, and a little tour of the Distillery.  They are in the process of upsizing so we got a great look at the new system before it has been commissioned.

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With the weather turning, we headed for home.  Another fun day out for the team with some skills and knowledge passed on through out the day.

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- St Arnaud Adventure - 

6th March 2020 - St Arnaud, Nelson Lakes

It was a fresh morning, and we all met at the yard and travelled to St Arnaud to begin our adventure.  

 

Our hosts were Ed and Nicky Shaw from Bullock Road Bows.  Ed makes amazing hand made long bows and they have a field archery course set up on their property just on the outskirts of St Arnaud Village.

 

There is a shelter set up with targets for everybody to learn how to hone their skills with the bows that are provided (and thankfully arm guards also).  Two people can take instruction at a time and shoot with the assistance of Ed and Nicky.  There is ample room for all to spectate and support.  We split into two teams and ended up with a shoot out between the teams.  We all had so much fun that I don't recall who actually won .... but I do recall thinking that if we ever needed to defend our office with bows and arrows I would be happy for any one of my colleagues to be on my side.

 

The course was brilliant fun - set up so that you feel like you are adventuring through the manuka on a quest, and although only one is able to shoot at a time its so engrossing that the time passes easily and you are at your turn before you know it.  Points are kept, and tallied at the end.  The moving targets proved a little more of a challenge for some us, but the video will show that it wasn't that way for everyone.

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As always, we were treated to amazing food, with home made baking for morning tea, and freshly smoked salmon for lunch at the lake edge.

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It was a fortuitous time to be at Lake Rotoiti, as being a Friday on the weekend of the classic boats there were some beautiful boats that had already arrived and were cruising the lake for all to see.

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After lunch we boarded the Lake Rotoiti Water Taxi, and took a tour with Hamish to Whiskey Falls.  He gave us the local history and dropped us at Whiskey Falls Jetty so that we could explore, and walk to Cold Water Hut.  This allowed us time to climb up to the falls and enjoy the wonder and then take a brisk walk to the other end of the lake.  

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Another amazing time with the team, and wonderful refresher from the daily office and plumbing routine. 

- Cable Bay Adventure - 

1st March 2019 - Cable Bay, Nelson

It was another beautiful sunny day and the ocean was picture perfect.

 

From Cable Bay - a small settlement 18km north of Nelson - the team at Plumbing Services took the 'Cable Bay Explorer' guided kayak trip. We paddled our way (some more competently than others of us) around the coastline of Pepin Island in 5 double kayaks and guided by 2 wonderful guides. Having opportunity to explore caves, get up close to seals, seabirds and other sea creatures.  Then moving on into to a little bay for a break from our kayaks with the chance to do a little swimming and snorkelling and have a snack before the return journey back to Cable Bay.

 

After a relaxed substantial lunch on the beach where the wind was now picking up we moved back up the Cable Bay Valley and discovered the next part of the adventure – 'Cable Bay Shooting Adventures'.

 

The safety briefing complete we all took our turn individually firing shots at paper targets with the .22 rifles.

 

Once we had all done our warm up target shots we were then able to shoot against each other …. Taking 2 people at a time and competing for speed and accuracy – 20 shots per person which seemed to take no time at all for some and a lifetime for others.

 

Then the big guns came out and we each had a turn at the clay birds.  A little more challenging when the targets are moving!

 

To finish the day there was then the “real big guns” to fire at the long distance targets set high on the hill.  The resounding “ting” of the metal when the shots hit the target was very rewarding and the frustration of the visual cloud of dust that was seen when the target was just missed … was a good motivator to have another shot at the more difficult smaller target.  Did I mention that the wind had increased by this time and this was a good excuse for the cloud of dust?

 

A awesome team day out, away from the usual tasks and demands of every day work.  

- Farewell Spit Tour - 

25th May 2018 - Collingwood, Golden Bay

Another awesome day that Plumbing Services provided for its team, this time to the South Islands northernmost point - Farewell Spit – 35km long, one of the worlds longest natural sandspits. With open sea on one side and sheltered waters on the other, this massive sandspit has two entirely different faces.

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Departing from Collingwood in a robust but comfortable 4WD bus we experienced a fascinating journey into sand country. Travelling the length of the spit with many stops along the way, Fossil Point, up beyond the lighthouse reserve, sighting basking seals and many different bird species.

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A stop at the lighthouse keeper’s cottage for lunch, giving us some time to explore the area and soak up the atmosphere of this truly amazing environment.

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The highlight of our Farewell Spit trip was having the opportunity to stop and climb one of the wind sculptured sand dunes that run down the spine of the spit. From the top of these dues we had a panoramic view - from the mountains of Golden Bay, the Abel Tasman National Park, Cook Strait seaway, the spit itself and around to the wild ocean on the west coast side.

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Our final stop before heading back to Collingwood was Cape Farewell, windy and cold yet interesting to see the formation of this landmark and watch the seals slipping through the waves that hammer this coast below the lookout.

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A very scenic outing and enjoyed by all our team.

- McCashins Brewery Tour - 

15th September 2017 - Stoke, Nelson

An afternoon off work for a tour around McCashins Brewery was a bonus for the team and enjoyed by all. A professional and knowledgeable tour guide took us through the fascinating history of the brewery and history of the brewing industry in New Zealand. Also all about the process used in making the Stoke Beer & Rochdale Cider products, the unique nature of the products and the special features of the brewery itself.

 

The tour was followed by an opportunity to taste some of their products and learn about the characteristics of each one. It was an awesome chance to learn about a locally made product.

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