3000 sheep move across bridge in Central Hawke's Bay. Credit: Patangata Tavern
A flock of 3000 newly-shorn sheep have completed their ewe-turn and travelled once more across the one-lane bridge in Central Hawke's Bay that made them famous.
While Patangata may not be known for its bustling highways, a second serving of speedy transportation work across the Tukituki River bridge on ElsthorpeRd had onlookers delighted again.
Last week Greg Hart's snap of the flock travelling the other way across the bridge went viral, with headlines calling it "NZ in one photo".
The 3000-strong flock are part of Waipawa Butchery and Patangata Station owner Duncan Smith's flock being transported back to their paddocks after being shorn.
The seven-minute journey goes past the Patangata Tavern, with owner Aaron Bartlett claiming this was the largest flock he'd witnessed in his almost nine years in CHB.
"The bridge has been shut down for tractors, houses, logging machinery in the past, so a massive mob of sheep isn't too unusual," he said. "But we've been here eight and a half years and this is the biggest mob I've seen.
"You hear stories of the old days, but moving sheep on that scale doesn't happen a lot now."
A pilot vehicle at the front of the flock and Bob Bertram and his canine friends helped guide the sheep across the bridge.
Bartlett said the teams work keeps any hold ups to a minimum.
"They bunched them all up at one end so when they let them run they all go at a great rate of knots," he said.
"He had half a dozen dogs yapping and barking to keep them off my garden and up the hill."
Bartlett added: "It's certainly something you don't see every day, but it's just another day in rural Patangata paradise."
More than 3000 sheep were moved across a bridge on Elsthorpe Rd in Patangata, CHB. Photo / Greg Hart
Smith previously said the sheep are moved at about 1.45pm, to coincide with the least busy part of the day, aiming to cause as little disruption as possible.
He said some of the lambs in the group will be going to both the Waipawa and Havelock branches of the butchery.
Bartlett added that no customers were impacted as the tavern is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
