July 7, 2026 • 7 mins
Tom O'Brien looks at a cooler week in upper Northern Southland.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Billy, how.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Billy Hell, this is the muster on Hakanui.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Thomas O'Brien is a Visus owner based up in Gaston.
That time, good afternoon Hillbilly Highway is the name of
the song. And there's anything but that from going from
Garston from to and v Caago.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Oh yeah mate, it's yeah, it's quite a classic that tune,
isn't it. It's pretty cool. It's yeah, it makes you
kind of puts a spring in your steff even when
you're driving, or maybe I don't know, that's maybe I'm
just going to take my foot off the accelerator a
little bit because it kind of Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Ground conditions, what are they like? The snow it's fallen
in various parts of the Tago in some parts of Southland.
What have you been like there?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh, well, we had a bit of snowfall last week,
earlier this week actually, and you know there's still a
bit of snow around the house. I went through a
bit of a trot up to the top of the
hill yesterday and there's oh there would have been a
good fifteen centimeters. Yeah. So yeah, but as I was
leaving home, I just came at about just before seven
(01:09):
o'clock this morning, and it was snowing as I left,
but as I as I headed through the south, I'm
coming into into lawn Will as we speak, and it's
her it's a clear day, it's clearing, and it's the
clouds departed, the roadways as clear. I'm looking forward to
a strong coffee when I get into into town. And yeah,
(01:30):
it's the best place to be at the moment.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Yeah, and Vocay, well, the place to be. So how
things be? We haven't spoken to you for a few weeks, mate, Yeah,
well I did.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
I was lucky enough to have a bit of a
chat to Olivia last time, which was which was really cool.
I think she said at the end of it it
almost sounded like we're going to have a bit of
a ted talk with Tom. But she did touch on
a subject that you that you quite often remind me of.
And Olivia actually chimed in as well, because I think
it was I think it was mental health Week or
(02:03):
something like that anyway, but it was to do with
just you know, taking steps to look after yourself and
look after your body and your mind and look after
each other as a whole. Right, So yeah, I had
a good chat to her to Olivia's. But yeah, we
haven't spoken for a while, have we made This.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Time of year, arguably, winter's a great chance for a
bit of a reset game with your social media. Tom,
What does it surprise me if you go for a
stroll on the snow in your jocks.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Well, you know, I was tracing through. I had been
for weeks and days and months, and you know, the cutting,
the cutting blizzards out like a thousand tens, you know,
already perforating my capillary skin. And you know, I thought
at one point that I would have been better off
swimming through a sea of golden syrup or worse my lasses.
(02:51):
But you know, finally when I got to the point,
the mud hut greeted me and I went in and
let a little fire and contemplated my journey. So there
you go.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
It's a pretty good description. And the only things that
missing in that sentences and as I turned to.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
The dog, exactly mate, Yeah, yeah, you've been watching the
wrong things.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
By the sounds of it, I've I've watching your social channels.
They're interesting, they're a good watch, nonetheless, and you talk
about the lesses of me. That's one of the great
things about winter in these still days, sazans and stock
foods across the road here in Gore. I reckon. It's
one of the joys of living in town. Actually, the
smell of usually wafting through the main streets when the
days are still, it's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Well, it's kind of synonymous with Gore, isn't it. You
know the Komoter factory across the way there, you know,
the kid growing up and spending quite a lot of
time in Gore because my grandparents lived in Coots Road
and Gore opposite Gore. Hi there, And yeah, my grandfather
he used to have the old fruit shop in the
main street of Gore. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so so yeah,
(03:55):
they sulked to sharks many years ago. But you may
recall that there was actually a fire in the toy shop.
There has to be a toy shop in the main
street of War and there was a fire in there,
and yeah, it spread into into our building as well
and did quite a lot of damage. So we rebuilt
the fruit shop and then we put an apartment on
(04:16):
top of the fruit shop and then we rented it
out to Woman's Refuge for many many years. So yeah,
but yeah, just that smell of my lasses, mate. You
can't beat it, you know, you just want to get
get a spoonful and get it in your Sometimes it
smells that good, doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Now. The two toy shops on the main street there
backing they had Toy World in the other Orlve with
the space rocket outside. The cost twenty cents to have
a go.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Oh the joys, mate, It's anonymous of my youth. Coming
to the big smoke putting a coin in that rocket.
You felt like you were literally heading to Mars, didn't you.
You know, ground controlled a major time and blasting off.
We're off to Mars, mate.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Not quite going to Mars. But it's nonetheless, you know,
when you're coming from the big small smoke of cattle
flat into the smoke of Gore. At the time it
was an achievement, but when you went in the cargo
house here it was on another level.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Oh, totally another level, mate. Yeah. And as I say,
I'm driving into town now, places looking good, heading in
for a few workshop meetings and all that sort of jazz.
But yeah, look, I mean there's a service town. You
can't really you can't really go too far past it. Well,
goreon and the Cargo. You know, are two major towns.
(05:28):
You know quite often travel up to Queenstown and Queenstown
is nice to visit that mate. In terms of actual
you know, goods and services and dealing with businesses and people,
you cannot beat South. And I'll tell you what it's.
It's yeah, and it's I guess that's one of our
unique points. You know. It's just good people, good business.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Very much. Doubt you can get the bale of woolpacks
in the middle of Queenstown.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
No, I doubt it. Well, yeah, and if you do,
it's probably full of you know, you know, something that
you probably don't want. You know, it's just all of rubbish.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
But so do you reassess goals at this time of year?
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I do, mate, Yeah, Look, I mean I don't do
a deep dive into my own goal setting, and I
probably should. It's something I should probably work on. But
I do kind of like daydream and fantasize a little
bit about how I can change the business, well not
change it, but just modify it and prove it. I'm
quite big on kind of looking at what you've already
got and you know, in terms of a you know,
(06:31):
reinvesting back into the business, Like you know, financially, reinvesting
can be obviously quite quite difficult. So you kind of
take a step back and say, what can I modify
that I've already got? Can I look at maybe some
better guiding options on a larger area of the property
that's not necessarily established as trail or accommodation, so things
(06:53):
like that. You know, then you go sort of onto
the laptop side of things, the social media stuff, the
marketing stuff. How how better can I utilize that. I've
actually got a friend who's just finished publishing a book.
I can't tell you the name of the book because
that's that's still under wraps, but it's basically all the
private walks of New Zealand that have been that have
(07:14):
been put into a beautiful book with beautiful photography and literature.
So really looking forward to buying a few copies of
that and giving them to friends and family as presents.
But that's going to be distributed right throughout the country
and bookshops and and so you know, that's all good
marketing stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Good on your time. I'll let you carry on your
mirror ways. Always appreciate your time for a chinwag.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Awesome mate, thanks for the call.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
We Tom O'Brien our Gaston correspondents here on the muster.
Before we rap up, we're catching up with News Dog
zb's Nick Bewley, Billy
Billy, how.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Billy Hell, this is the muster on Hakanui.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Thomas O'Brien is a Visus owner based up in Gaston.
That time, good afternoon Hillbilly Highway is the name of
the song. And there's anything but that from going from
Garston from to and v Caago.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Oh yeah mate, it's yeah, it's quite a classic that tune,
isn't it. It's pretty cool. It's yeah, it makes you
kind of puts a spring in your steff even when
you're driving, or maybe I don't know, that's maybe I'm
just going to take my foot off the accelerator a
little bit because it kind of Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Ground conditions, what are they like? The snow it's fallen
in various parts of the Tago in some parts of Southland.
What have you been like there?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh, well, we had a bit of snowfall last week,
earlier this week actually, and you know there's still a
bit of snow around the house. I went through a
bit of a trot up to the top of the
hill yesterday and there's oh there would have been a
good fifteen centimeters. Yeah. So yeah, but as I was
leaving home, I just came at about just before seven
(01:09):
o'clock this morning, and it was snowing as I left,
but as I as I headed through the south, I'm
coming into into lawn Will as we speak, and it's
her it's a clear day, it's clearing, and it's the
clouds departed, the roadways as clear. I'm looking forward to
a strong coffee when I get into into town. And yeah,
(01:30):
it's the best place to be at the moment.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Yeah, and Vocay, well, the place to be. So how
things be? We haven't spoken to you for a few weeks, mate, Yeah,
well I did.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
I was lucky enough to have a bit of a
chat to Olivia last time, which was which was really cool.
I think she said at the end of it it
almost sounded like we're going to have a bit of
a ted talk with Tom. But she did touch on
a subject that you that you quite often remind me of.
And Olivia actually chimed in as well, because I think
it was I think it was mental health Week or
(02:03):
something like that anyway, but it was to do with
just you know, taking steps to look after yourself and
look after your body and your mind and look after
each other as a whole. Right, So yeah, I had
a good chat to her to Olivia's. But yeah, we
haven't spoken for a while, have we made This.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Time of year, arguably, winter's a great chance for a
bit of a reset game with your social media. Tom,
What does it surprise me if you go for a
stroll on the snow in your jocks.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Well, you know, I was tracing through. I had been
for weeks and days and months, and you know, the cutting,
the cutting blizzards out like a thousand tens, you know,
already perforating my capillary skin. And you know, I thought
at one point that I would have been better off
swimming through a sea of golden syrup or worse my lasses.
(02:51):
But you know, finally when I got to the point,
the mud hut greeted me and I went in and
let a little fire and contemplated my journey. So there
you go.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
It's a pretty good description. And the only things that
missing in that sentences and as I turned to.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
The dog, exactly mate, Yeah, yeah, you've been watching the
wrong things.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
By the sounds of it, I've I've watching your social channels.
They're interesting, they're a good watch, nonetheless, and you talk
about the lesses of me. That's one of the great
things about winter in these still days, sazans and stock
foods across the road here in Gore. I reckon. It's
one of the joys of living in town. Actually, the
smell of usually wafting through the main streets when the
days are still, it's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Well, it's kind of synonymous with Gore, isn't it. You
know the Komoter factory across the way there, you know,
the kid growing up and spending quite a lot of
time in Gore because my grandparents lived in Coots Road
and Gore opposite Gore. Hi there, And yeah, my grandfather
he used to have the old fruit shop in the
main street of Gore. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so so yeah,
(03:55):
they sulked to sharks many years ago. But you may
recall that there was actually a fire in the toy shop.
There has to be a toy shop in the main
street of War and there was a fire in there,
and yeah, it spread into into our building as well
and did quite a lot of damage. So we rebuilt
the fruit shop and then we put an apartment on
(04:16):
top of the fruit shop and then we rented it
out to Woman's Refuge for many many years. So yeah,
but yeah, just that smell of my lasses, mate. You
can't beat it, you know, you just want to get
get a spoonful and get it in your Sometimes it
smells that good, doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Now. The two toy shops on the main street there
backing they had Toy World in the other Orlve with
the space rocket outside. The cost twenty cents to have
a go.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Oh the joys, mate, It's anonymous of my youth. Coming
to the big smoke putting a coin in that rocket.
You felt like you were literally heading to Mars, didn't you.
You know, ground controlled a major time and blasting off.
We're off to Mars, mate.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Not quite going to Mars. But it's nonetheless, you know,
when you're coming from the big small smoke of cattle
flat into the smoke of Gore. At the time it
was an achievement, but when you went in the cargo
house here it was on another level.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Oh, totally another level, mate. Yeah. And as I say,
I'm driving into town now, places looking good, heading in
for a few workshop meetings and all that sort of jazz.
But yeah, look, I mean there's a service town. You
can't really you can't really go too far past it. Well,
goreon and the Cargo. You know, are two major towns.
(05:28):
You know quite often travel up to Queenstown and Queenstown
is nice to visit that mate. In terms of actual
you know, goods and services and dealing with businesses and people,
you cannot beat South. And I'll tell you what it's.
It's yeah, and it's I guess that's one of our
unique points. You know. It's just good people, good business.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Very much. Doubt you can get the bale of woolpacks
in the middle of Queenstown.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
No, I doubt it. Well, yeah, and if you do,
it's probably full of you know, you know, something that
you probably don't want. You know, it's just all of rubbish.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
But so do you reassess goals at this time of year?
Speaker 2 (06:08):
I do, mate, Yeah, Look, I mean I don't do
a deep dive into my own goal setting, and I
probably should. It's something I should probably work on. But
I do kind of like daydream and fantasize a little
bit about how I can change the business, well not
change it, but just modify it and prove it. I'm
quite big on kind of looking at what you've already
got and you know, in terms of a you know,
(06:31):
reinvesting back into the business, Like you know, financially, reinvesting
can be obviously quite quite difficult. So you kind of
take a step back and say, what can I modify
that I've already got? Can I look at maybe some
better guiding options on a larger area of the property
that's not necessarily established as trail or accommodation, so things
(06:53):
like that. You know, then you go sort of onto
the laptop side of things, the social media stuff, the
marketing stuff. How how better can I utilize that. I've
actually got a friend who's just finished publishing a book.
I can't tell you the name of the book because
that's that's still under wraps, but it's basically all the
private walks of New Zealand that have been that have
(07:14):
been put into a beautiful book with beautiful photography and literature.
So really looking forward to buying a few copies of
that and giving them to friends and family as presents.
But that's going to be distributed right throughout the country
and bookshops and and so you know, that's all good
marketing stuff.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Good on your time. I'll let you carry on your
mirror ways. Always appreciate your time for a chinwag.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Awesome mate, thanks for the call.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
We Tom O'Brien our Gaston correspondents here on the muster.
Before we rap up, we're catching up with News Dog
zb's Nick Bewley, Billy
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