Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Rainbow the premature calf dons winter woollies wardrobe

Kiri Gillespie
By Kiri Gillespie
Assistant News Director and Multimedia Journalist·Bay of Plenty Times·
8 Jun, 2018 09:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Pongakawa farm assistant Eden Anderton was going through baby clothes when she had an idea to help keep a vulnerable premature calf warm during the region's cold nights. Photo/John Borren

Pongakawa farm assistant Eden Anderton was going through baby clothes when she had an idea to help keep a vulnerable premature calf warm during the region's cold nights. Photo/John Borren

A stroppy calf born more than a month ahead of the calving season is keeping warm with her collection of winter woollies.

Rainbow the calf is only four days old but has already captured the hearts of the Western Bay of Plenty's farming community.

Pongakawa farm assistant Eden Anderton knew Rainbow would need particular attention after she was born prematurely on June 5.

"We didn't know if she was going to make it, but she's pretty stroppy," Anderton said.

Another farm assistant came up with the name but there was no rainbow at the time or anything, Anderton said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I think it might be to do with making all the girls on Snapchat go 'awwwww'.

"Everyone thinks she's so cute."

Anderton, who is herself pregnant and due next month, said she had already been collecting baby clothes and was going through them when she got the idea of helping keep the lonely calf warm.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"There were these random woollen children's clothes, so I just took some. I didn't want her to be cold just because she's premature, and because she's alone in the pen, she doesn't have the warmth of the other cows."

Rainbow currently sports two red jumpers, a purple and black jumper and a yellow one too.

"I was going to go into town [today] or Monday and get some more from the op shop. These ones are a little bit tight, and she'll grow out of those pretty quickly," Anderton said.

Rainbow's future was likely to be a bright one as a pet cow at Anderton's property.

Discover more

Dogs prove a huge help to people in need

12 May 07:30 PM

Bacterial cattle disease mycoplasma bovis edging closer to Bay of Plenty

15 May 08:00 PM

A passion for animal care

30 May 05:49 AM
New Zealand

Farm paddocks in Pāpāmoa underwater for second time

07 Jun 05:25 AM

"I'm actually building a pen at our house so we can have her at home. That way I don't have to go to work when I'm off to take care of her.

"She will be an annoying pet cow in a herd, which is what happens to pet cows."

At the moment Rainbow is fed twice a day - first thing in the morning and again at night.

"She's just really demanding," Anderton said.

Anderton's antics have approval from the farm owners, who she says "think it's pretty funny".

When the pen is built Rainbow will move to her new home where she will join Anderton and her expanding family.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Calving season usually begins from mid-July.

Aren't we just big bad farmers. Pretty much has a whole wardrobe...

Posted by Te Puke Young Farmers on Wednesday, 6 June 2018
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Huge backward step': Debate over Govt's new education proposal

Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

Former council CEO among seven challenging Western Bay Mayor for top job

Bay of Plenty Times

'It really does help': Big crowd help Steamers crush Tasman


Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Huge backward step': Debate over Govt's new education proposal
Bay of Plenty Times

'Huge backward step': Debate over Govt's new education proposal

The new system replaces NCEA with national qualifications over five years.

04 Aug 07:58 PM
Former council CEO among seven challenging Western Bay Mayor for top job
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

Former council CEO among seven challenging Western Bay Mayor for top job

04 Aug 07:51 PM
'It really does help': Big crowd help Steamers crush Tasman
Bay of Plenty Times

'It really does help': Big crowd help Steamers crush Tasman

04 Aug 07:50 PM


Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture
Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

01 Aug 12:26 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP