NZ Herald Morning News Update | Police training under review and newborn baby found dead in Auckland’s Albert Park.
For two years, Port to Port ferry operator Rachel McGregor has kept a tongue-in-cheek option on her booking website allowing passengers to “add a sheep”.
On Saturday, the gag finally became reality.
Dave, a 4-week-old lamb raised as a house pet by Port Chalmers local Kirsten Olsen, became the firstsheep to officially ride the Otago Harbour ferry.
Nappy-clad and unfazed, Dave proved a natural seafarer. Photo / Supplied
“I’ve never actually had a sheep on the boat,” McGregor said.
“I’ve had plenty of dogs. Probably the strangest thing I’ve transported so far would be a turkey on Christmas Eve … it was not a live one.”
McGregor, who has worked on the harbour since 2005 and started the Port to Port business eight years ago, said the sheep option began as a lighthearted joke after watching livestock being awkwardly ferried to Quarantine Island.
Dave was adopted after being rejected by his mother. Photo / Supplied
“I was on the boat and we were watching the sheep being loaded on board a little wooden dinghy … they had its feet tied together and were trying to slide it down this ramp,” she said.
“It just looked terrible ... So to entertain myself really, I thought, oh I should put it on the website that people can bring a sheep.”
Passengers often asked whether the option was serious.
“It was a joke, but also, if someone wants to bring a sheep, they totally can,” McGregor said.
Kirsten Olsen and Dave, inseparable since he was a week old, enjoy their day out on the water. Photo / Supplied
That opportunity came when McGregor spotted her former schoolmate, Olsen, posting on Facebook about Dave.
Dave, who was rejected by his mother and her triplets, has been under the wing of Olsen, has played a role in helping Olsen recover from serious spinal surgery.
“By walking Dave around the paddocks and around the streets has helped aid her recovery as well,” McGregor said.
On the day, Dave proved a natural seafarer.
Port to Port ferry operator Rachel McGregor with Dave, the lamb who finally made her long-running “add a sheep” booking option a reality. Photo / Supplied
“The trip went great. He had a nappy on luckily. He didn’t seem worried at all and was very affectionate. He had a wee sleep on the way back, was very content and wandered around the boat.”
McGregor said the episode captured exactly why she runs the ferry.
“For me, it’s just nice to have that 10 or 15 minutes with people where it’s light and funny,” she said.
“That’s the sort of thing I aim to do on the harbour, just bring a bit of joy.”
