"We don't mind the rain here, really", reflects Brian, "it's our saviour and makes the grass grow."

Our idea of New Zealand as a place that folk emigrated to for a new life with decent weather has just been demolished.

'Te Rangai' is off the beaten track and not a place found in any guide book, but we're looking forward to experiencing what life is like for New Zealand farmers. Ten years ago Brian and Kirsty, Lesley's second cousin, left a farming life in the Scottish Borders, seeking to take their skills to new horizons. Borders life was hard, and it's not all a holiday here too (well, it's not bad thinks Kirsty), but the rewards are greater. They have three girls, Rosie, Evie and Kizzie. Rosie is studying medicine and Evie is studying viticulture in Christchurch. Kizzie boards at a girls' school in Hastings, being too far to travel on a daily basis.

Brian and Kirsty are up early to make up feeds and do a round of the 290Ha farm, 400 metres above sea level. It's just the two of them to run the operation, and they welcome Kizzie's return at the weekends, the extra pair of hands making life a little easier. This is the lambing and calving season. Much attention needs to be paid to the young livestock, to help them gain a weight for eventual sale. That's why good grass is needed, with plenty of rain, but just the right amount as young lambs can die on wet and windy conditions. Lesley has a dozen new followers who trot beside the fence and bleat until fed from a bottle. To give the grass a chance to grow and not be completely overeaten, the stock is rotated through fields (or 'paddocks' in NZ lingo).