<I>

  <&>Wellington Corpus of Spoken New Zealand English Version One</&>
  <&>Copyright 1998 School of Linguistics & Applied Language Studies</&>
  <&>Victoria University of Wellington</&>

  <&>side one</&>
  <&>19:15</&>
  

  <WSC#DGI087:0005:BB>
      you can get light snows any time through may june

  <WSC#DGI087:0010:BB>
      occasionally you get heavy snows then but in MOST cases any
      snows that fall before the end of may shift and those in june
      USUALLY aren't too serious

  <WSC#DGI087:0015:BB>
      but in july when you're into the really HARD part of the year
      <O>tut</O> you can get quite massive snows and quite a few of
      them

  <WSC#DGI087:0020:BB>
      um last year for example we had twenty inches of snow fell um in
      a two day period and we <.>had</.>

  <WSC#DGI087:0025:BB>
      it was quite bad because there was <.>s</.> severe souwesterly
      <O>voc</O> drifting

  <WSC#DGI087:0030:BB>
      and then a couple of days later we got um WESTERLY drifting as
      well which did quite a bit of damage <?>in my</?> <&>20:00</&>
      normally pretty safe um wintering country

  <WSC#DGI087:0035:BB>
      the WIND is probably <,> a bigger enemy than the snow

  <WSC#DGI087:0040:IJ>
      because of the drifting factor <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0045:BB>
      BECAUSE of the drifting <{><[>factor</[> AND the chill factor

  <WSC#DGI087:0050:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0055:IJ>
      yes

  <WSC#DGI087:0060:BB>
      you know <{><[>as far</[> as trying to DO anything out there but

  <WSC#DGI087:0065:BB>
      there's really not much you can do AFTER there's been a snow <.>for</.>
      takes a week to settle basically

  <WSC#DGI087:0070:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0075:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0080:BB>
      and then you can consider <,> what may need to be done um

  <WSC#DGI087:0085:IJ>
      <O>tut</O> so your drifts you'd be getting them what um how deep

  <WSC#DGI087:0090:BB>
      <O>inhales</O> well the further up you go <O>exhales</O> the
      deeper they get of course because the um the wind gets stronger

  <WSC#DGI087:0095:BB>
      <O>tut</O> but <O>voc</O> two metre drifts would be pretty
      common

  <WSC#DGI087:0100:IJ>
      TWO metres

  <WSC#DGI087:0105:BB>
      yeah

  <WSC#DGI087:0110:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0115:BB>
      and <.>over</.> cornices over <?>the</?> banks and things like
      that you know it's not uncommon to get three or four metres of
      drifting or more in those sort of areas

  <WSC#DGI087:0120:BB>
      um up on the <?>carrick</?> where the road goes over on the road
      you get um two metre drifts sometimes up to three metre drifts
      but on just off the road there's <&>21:00</&> MASSIVE drifts
      there that you know anywhere up to four metres deep

  <WSC#DGI087:0125:IJ>
      are these dangerous in <.>a</.> <.>in</.> in as far as you could
      er <,> almost like get bogged in them like a swamp

  <WSC#DGI087:0130:BB>
      well you get stuck in them certainly when you're trying to get
      vehicles <{1><[1>through</[1> them <{2><[2>um</[2>

  <WSC#DGI087:0135:BB>
      when the snow's still soft you can get through <O>voc</O> a
      metre or a metre and a half of snow

  <WSC#DGI087:0140:IJ>
      <[1>yes</[1></{1>

  <WSC#DGI087:0145:IJ>
      <[2><?>yeah</?></[2></{2>

  <WSC#DGI087:0150:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0155:BB>
      you know quite reasonably um <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0160:IJ>
      what with a normal er <.>w</.> well fourwheel drive <{><[>vehicle</[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0165:BB>
      <[>yeah</[></{> something with plenty of power

  <WSC#DGI087:0170:IJ>
      yes <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0175:BB>
      and plenty of clearance <,> but as soon as they freeze up um you
      can't get through <?>in</?> a foot of snow sometimes

  <WSC#DGI087:0180:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0185:BB>
      just because it goes SO hard and icy it's like trying to drive
      through half set concrete or <{><[>something</[> like that

  <WSC#DGI087:0190:IJ>
      <[>yes</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0195:IJ>
      mm now last year it was where you had er big snow as you said
      twenty inches or so <,> and drifting

  <WSC#DGI087:0200:IJ>
      and <O>voc</O> so what you <.>were</.> you were snowed in here

  <WSC#DGI087:0205:IJ>
      <.>how</.> what did you do

  <WSC#DGI087:0210:BB>
      we were snowed in here for a couple of weeks

  <WSC#DGI087:0215:BB>
      um <O>tut</O> <,> in the old days they used to get snowed in for
      LONG periods of time

  <WSC#DGI087:0220:BB>
      i <.>don't</.> i don't think the snows are anything like they
      used <&>22:00</&> to be going back forty or fifty years <,>

  <WSC#DGI087:0225:BB>
      one of the big problems is really just existing <{><[>um</[> <,>

  <WSC#DGI087:0230:BB>
      the hydro we're on own power here and the hydro goes out in the
      souwesterly drifting

  <WSC#DGI087:0235:BB>
      it blots the race out and takes the temperature of the water
      down to such an extent that it won't run

  <WSC#DGI087:0240:BB>
      and you often have <.>a</.> problems with even the diesel
      generators and that we have for stand by plants for keeping
      diesel firing and things like that

  <WSC#DGI087:0245:BB>
      you have to mix up to fifty percent kerosene into the systems to

  <WSC#DGI087:0250:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0255:IJ>
      just because of the temperature

  <WSC#DGI087:0260:BB>
      yeah

  <WSC#DGI087:0265:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0270:BB>
      yeah <.>and</.>

  <WSC#DGI087:0275:BB>
      but most of the heating um in here is we've got a <O>voc</O> oh
      a cast iron <,> er freestanding stove there that we always make
      sure we've got a bit of good <?>ohai</?> coal three or four
      sacks of good <?>ohai</?> coal and that keeps it warm in here
      and you can cook something up

  <WSC#DGI087:0280:IJ>
      mhm <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0285:BB>
      if you want <?>well</?> <,> there's not really a <&>23:00</&>
      lot you can do <,> in snow till it settles

  <WSC#DGI087:0290:BB>
      a lot of people flounder round in fairly fresh snow and things
      like that um

  <WSC#DGI087:0295:BB>
      the stock yeah are pretty secure where we have them um in the
      sunny sides for the winters

  <WSC#DGI087:0300:IJ>
      so you don't bring them down into the valleys which is what <.>a</.>
      a city type like me might think

  <WSC#DGI087:0305:IJ>
      you leave them up on the sunny faces

  <WSC#DGI087:0310:BB>
      yeah <.>the</.> the valley floors are very dangerous in here
      because it's it's a big open valley quite wide

  <WSC#DGI087:0315:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0320:BB>
      and the um the snow drifts really badly anywhere there's a fence
      or just over the cornice of a hill which the winds tend to drive
      stock into

  <WSC#DGI087:0325:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0330:BB>
      um just prior to all the drifting commencing

  <WSC#DGI087:0335:IJ>
      yes <{><[>yeah</[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0340:BB>
      <[>so</[></{> um <,> we've fenced in all the sunny sides and
      they've all been oversown and topdressed and we religiously keep
      them from christmas time through to july regardless

  <WSC#DGI087:0345:BB>
      sometimes we have a bit of a scramble through june finding
      enough feed for stock but we don't <&>24:00</&> go into those
      sunny sides till july regardless because <{><[>that's</[> the
      ULTRA risk period where you just can't do anything with stock

  <WSC#DGI087:0350:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0355:IJ>
      so in other words you're minimising your stock losses

  <WSC#DGI087:0360:BB>
      yes <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0365:IJ>
      whereas years <{><[>ago</[> it would have been a vastly
      different story i suppose

  <WSC#DGI087:0370:BB>
      <[><quietly>mm</quietly></[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0375:BB>
      yes you're minimising your stock losses and um if you can give
      them a little bit of a lift along in midwinter there or stop
      them going back <{><[>any</[> further

  <WSC#DGI087:0380:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0385:IJ>
      <O>tut</O> and you feed hay in august <O>voc</O>

  <WSC#DGI087:0390:BB>
      yeah NOT to my wethers but my ewes and hoggets <{><[>and</[> my
      cows um

  <WSC#DGI087:0395:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0400:IJ>
      and <{><[>how</[> many are you running here in total total
      numbers

  <WSC#DGI087:0405:BB>
      <[><O>voc</O></[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0410:BB>
      we're running about forty five hundred wethers and we've got
      thirty three hundred ewes and couple of thousand hoggets and
      <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0415:IJ>
      this is merino

  <WSC#DGI087:0420:BB>
      they're merinos and HALFbreds <{><[>but the</[> HALFbreds are
      actually being bred through to QUARTERbreds

  <WSC#DGI087:0425:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0430:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0435:BB>
      um <,> i'm not too keen on running merino ewes

  <WSC#DGI087:0440:BB>
      we used to run merino ewes but with foot rot and the knocks and
      things they get here the performance of them was so low

  <WSC#DGI087:0445:IJ>
      mm <&>25:00</&>

  <WSC#DGI087:0450:BB>
      that it was just a disaster <,>

  <WSC#DGI087:0455:BB>
      and so we've <,> been running halfbreds but the profitability on
      the wool on them hasn't been <,> so good the last few years er

  <WSC#DGI087:0460:BB>
      but we'll go to quarterbreds which um should move us up a bit

  <WSC#DGI087:0465:BB>
      and also we'll pick up a bit of wool weight and that sort of
      thing yeah <{><[><?><.>wi</.></?></[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0470:IJ>
      <[><O>tut</O></[></{> now you've got um <,> a hydrosystem which
      you've had to <.>in</.> install at great cost er which gives <.>you</.>
      <O>voc</O> gives you power of course and you've got <.>a</.> <.>a</.>
      a diesel generator backup here so you can exist you were talking
      about <{1><[1>that before</[1> er but you'd still get snowed in
      er you know you'd have to get out for supplies and that kind of
      thing

  <WSC#DGI087:0475:IJ>
      now you had trouble with that LAST winter even though the
      winters are <O>voc</O> bit warmer than they <{2><[2><laughs>USED</laughs></[2>
      to be

  <WSC#DGI087:0480:BB>
      <[1>yeah yeah</[1></{1>

  <WSC#DGI087:0485:BB>
      <[2>mm</[2></{2>

  <WSC#DGI087:0490:BB>
      yeah <,> we <,> we were here for about two weeks last winter but
      let me explain we keep ourselves pretty well supplied as far as
      <&>26:00</&> provisions and things go and if we didn't get out
      for a month or so really it wouldn't matter

  <WSC#DGI087:0495:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0500:BB>
      um we're pretty well set up with big freezers full of meat and
      you know bulk flour and <,> <{><[>goods</[> and so there's NO
      real risk to life as far as that goes

  <WSC#DGI087:0505:BB>
      but you get bored after a while and you want the paper and the

  <WSC#DGI087:0510:IJ>
      <[><?>sure</?></[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0515:IJ>
      mm mm <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0520:BB>
      mail and

  <WSC#DGI087:0525:IJ>
      just a bit of <{><[>contact mm</[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0530:BB>
      <[>see someone else</[></{> and <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0535:IJ>
      yeah <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0540:BB>
      yeah but what happened LAST winter was we had this big snow <O>tut</O>
      and <,> it drifted round for a week before the snow started
      before it really started to freeze and the snow started to
      harden

  <WSC#DGI087:0545:BB>
      cos GENERALLY you get <,> say two to six inches of snow and they
      build up progressively but when you get <O>inhales</O> that much
      snow half a metre or so of snow <?>that's</?> all drifting round
      all at once it takes a long time to settle and harden <,>

  <WSC#DGI087:0550:BB>
      <O>tut</O> so <,> we were wanting to get out to get a few odds
      and ends but more than anything we had the <O>tut</O> speedway
      end of year prizegiving <{><[>which</[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0555:IJ>
      <[>ah you're</[></{> a stock car man <&>27:00</&>

  <WSC#DGI087:0560:BB>
      yeah <{1><[1>yeah</[1> which we were quite keen to get <{2><[2>to</[2>

  <WSC#DGI087:0565:IJ>
      <[1><laughs>yes</laughs></[1></{1>

  <WSC#DGI087:0570:IJ>
      <[2>mm</[2></{2> so you were trying to get over to cromwell

  <WSC#DGI087:0575:BB>
      well it was actually in alexandra

  <WSC#DGI087:0580:IJ>
      oh yes <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0585:BB>
      yeah <,> um but it took me about twelve hours and we burnt about
      fifty odd gallons of diesel pushing the road open

  <WSC#DGI087:0590:BB>
      the road <O>tut</O> here it's actually a county road but they
      don't acknowledge

  <WSC#DGI087:0595:BB>
      um it's officially closed <{><[>between</[> may and october

  <WSC#DGI087:0600:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0605:IJ>
      <O>tut</O> so it's up to YOU to keep it open <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0610:BB>
      yeah <{><[>yeah</[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0615:IJ>
      <[><O>inhales</O></[></{> so you do that with a <.>wh</.> a what
      a bulldozer <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0620:BB>
      yeah we've got an old t d fifteen petrol start t d <{1><[1>fifteen</[1>
      that we leave up the road there and being petrol start we can
      usually get it to go <{2><[2>but</[2> i took twelve hours to to
      open the road up yeah

  <WSC#DGI087:0625:BB>
      and that was only pretty rough too

  <WSC#DGI087:0630:IJ>
      <[1>mm</[1></{1>

  <WSC#DGI087:0635:IJ>
      <[2><O>inhales</O></[2></{2>

  <WSC#DGI087:0640:IJ>
      mm <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0645:BB>
      i had to actually go back and tidy it up a bit <,> after that

  <WSC#DGI087:0650:BB>
      but anyway we got out to the speedway do <{><[>in the end</[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0655:IJ>
      <[><O>laughs</O></[></{> <O>inhales</O> and you would have had
      some <O>voc</O> <,> tight moments some funny moments perhaps
      over the years er <O>voc</O> getting out <,> over <.>the</.>
      over the <?>carrick</?> over the road there

  <WSC#DGI087:0660:BB>
      <O>tut</O> yes we've been stuck a good few times and
      <&>28:00</&> <O>laughs</O>

  <WSC#DGI087:0665:BB>
      er people often ask why you don't go skiing but i reckon that
      i've shovelled more snow than most people have skied on

  <WSC#DGI087:0670:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0675:BB>
      over the years <,>

  <WSC#DGI087:0680:BB>
      and yeah you get close calls and the big thing is is not to
      treat the wind with any

  <WSC#DGI087:0685:BB>
      the wind is a killer <,>

  <WSC#DGI087:0690:BB>
      you know like it um obscures the vision and it drifts the snow
      around and it just takes the temperature down so far that if it
      starts to blow you just don't go if there's loose snow still
      drifting around

  <WSC#DGI087:0695:IJ>
      mm you couldn't see where the road was

  <WSC#DGI087:0700:BB>
      no <{><[>no</[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0705:IJ>
      <[>mm</[></{> <O>inhales</O> have you been caught yourself up
      there or

  <WSC#DGI087:0710:BB>
      <O>inhales</O>

  <WSC#DGI087:0715:IJ>
      close to it

  <WSC#DGI087:0720:BB>
      i have um <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#DGI087:0725:BB>
      i've been caught seriously i suppose half a dozen <,> times up
      there

  <WSC#DGI087:0730:BB>
      um only ONCE with other people with me

  <WSC#DGI087:0735:IJ>
      mm <{><[><.>wha</.></[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0740:BB>
      <[>oh</[></{> TWICE with other people with me

  <WSC#DGI087:0745:IJ>
      what was the WORST time <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#DGI087:0750:BB>
      possibly the most <,> stressful time to me <&>29:00</&> would
      have been <O>exhales</O>

  <WSC#DGI087:0755:BB>
      we um <,> we got stuck up there with <,> with the wife and um
      and the kids were reasonably small just babies <O>inhales</O>

  <WSC#DGI087:0760:BB>
      and we got into a drift and half off the side of the road and we
      couldn't get <O>exhales</O> back up onto the road and i had to
      walk down and get my neighbour to come and <,> er give us a hand
      to tow it out or back up onto the road

  <WSC#DGI087:0765:BB>
      that was the most dangerous time as far <{><[><.>as</.></[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0770:IJ>
      <[>it was</[></{> dangerous because of what

  <WSC#DGI087:0775:BB>
      well it <.>was</.> probably wasn't DANGEROUS but to me it was
      quite stressful

  <WSC#DGI087:0780:IJ>
      mm <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0785:BB>
      leaving <,> um the wife and quite small children at <{1><[1>that</[1>
      stage <{2><[2>up</[2> there

  <WSC#DGI087:0790:IJ>
      <[1>yes</[1></{1>

  <WSC#DGI087:0795:IJ>
      <[2><.>in</.></[2></{2>

  <WSC#DGI087:0800:IJ>
      in <O>voc</O> VERY low temperatures

  <WSC#DGI087:0805:BB>
      yeah <{><[>yeah</[> and it was WELL up you know it was up on
      four thousand feet

  <WSC#DGI087:0810:IJ>
      <[><O>inhales</O></[></{>

  <WSC#DGI087:0815:IJ>
      mm

  <WSC#DGI087:0820:BB>
      yeah

  <WSC#DGI087:0825:IJ>
      and they survived okay <O>voc</O> <latch>

  <WSC#DGI087:0830:BB>
      yeah they did <{1><[1>yeah</[1> they were probably quite safe
      but <{2><[2><O>inhales</O> you</[2> <.>don't</.> <{3><[3>you
      DON'T worry about</[3> yourself much <{4><[4>but you worry about</[4>

  <WSC#DGI087:0835:IJ>
      <[1>yeah</[1></{1>

  <WSC#DGI087:0840:IJ>
      <[2>yes</[2></{2>

  <WSC#DGI087:0845:IJ>
      <[3><?>just kept the <.>en</.></?></[3></{3>

  <WSC#DGI087:0850:IJ>
      <[4>no kept the engine running</[4></{4> i suppose

  <WSC#DGI087:0855:BB>
      yeah <{><[>yeah</[>

  <WSC#DGI087:0860:IJ>
      <[>yes</[></{> just to provide a bit of warmth

  <WSC#DGI087:0865:BB>
      yeah

  <WSC#DGI087:0870:IJ>
      yes <&>29:51</&>
</I>
