January 17th 2017: A Muzzle muster

When it comes to high-country farming calf marking is a highlight on the annual calendar. On Muzzle Station, near Kaikoura, that's a week of early starts and long rides on horseback into the hills, gullies and peaks to collect the cows, bulls and calves. Then they are all guided back to the yards – if we're doing well then we'll arrive around midday ready to start processing them – tagging, drenching etc – before reuniting them all and sending them back out.

I had the good fortune to photograph this year's muster for an upcoming book on Muzzle Station. I quickly learnt that it's a well-oiled machine led by Guy Redfern (and usually his wife O) with assistance from some Ravine royalty in the form of Ric Denton (he's been helping out here for more than 30 years) and Merv and Oscar. The team is completed by the savvy stockmanship of Sam, Guy, Alice, Chris, Georgia and Lucy. At just 14 Lucy grew up in the North Island with her sister Georgia (16), but it is clear they have learnt a thing or two from their Grandfather, Ric. On horseback they're unstoppable. In this terrain that makes a big difference. Long rides chasing lovesick, occasionally stroppy, often confused cows around is no easy task. Alice, 19, had ridden over the range from the neighbouring Muller Station. Sam had made his way up the river from Matariki Station and Guy had driven in with his team of 12 dogs from Amberley.

This muster was made a little more edgy because of all the ripped earth, slips and rockfall caused by the Kaikoura earthquake. Even getting into the station involved a few heart-in-mouth moments. Most of the ridgelines were ribboned with tears running along them, some of the peaks were shredded and uncomfortably sized rocks sat where they had rolled to from unstable peaks and ridges high above. Up Dead Horse Gully a slip had completely blocked the stream and formed a lake. In other areas car-sized rocks had been shifted from their resting place. And at 2am in the middle of our second night in Ravine Hut the entire building lurched a foot up and down. It was enough to make you think about some of the steep or exposed places we'd ridden our horses through earlier that day.

Each night was spent sharing stories from the day's adventures, dining like kings and planning the following day. By 8pm we were ready for our sleeping bags and dreaming of another 5am start. It's a good life.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS A trip to Kaikoura wouldn't be complete without a wave or two at Meatworks. Even Kahutara was looking clean and fun – great to see both these waves are still looking good. The not so good news is that the quake has lifted the bay at Maungamanu – this famous pointbreak can't handle a big swell like it used to and breaks in the middle of the bay now. Ouch. However, rumours of new waves abound – I didn't get to see these, but we'll keep you posted.