The competitition report and results appeared in the April edition of MFW whose production was too far advanced to include pictures . We rectify that situation in this edition and add some further notes about the venue and next year ’ s event .
Many will be familiar with Raynors Farm at Carterton because of their attendance at nationals . They will know all about the mature crops and lush grass pastures which swallow aeroplanes at that time of year . Now , fast forward a couple of months to early March and the barley , oats , and seed crops are harvested and the sheep have nibbled the stubble down to lawn length . This , plus the big paddocks and lack of drains , makes retrieving a breeze and Raynors Farm a favourite with freeflighters .
Carterton too has its attractions . There is an excellent train service to Masterton and Wellington . Te Papa is an invigorating walk along the waterfront from the Wellington terminal and a “ day in the capital ” well worth the effort . A harvest festival runs concurrently with our event and plenty of people make a week of it to enjoy the country pubs , winery cafes , and outdoor pursuits , the region has to offer . Golden Shears 2014 will run from Friday 28th Feb to Sunday 2nd March . The NIFFC will follow a week later starting Friday7th and finishing S u n d a y 9 t h M a r c h . T h e programme will be essentially the same as this year with the possible addition of an experimental electric event and some changes to the prizegiving format .