Mamaku Donkey Rescue, Rehoming Centre and Sanctuary, Rotorua, New Zealand

 

Members of the Mamaku Donkey Rescue, Rehoming Centre are a small dedicated group who are Trustees of the Donkey and  Mule Protection Trust and also members of the Donkey and  Mule Society, working with SPCA and  the Ministry of Primary Industries.

 Pauline  with Chester
The Centre was started by Pauline Sainsbury in 2008.

 It is located on her property and is used for donkeys in need, donkeys in re-hab and also serves as a sanctuary for donkeys who are not re-homeable due age, health or behaviour issues.

In the beginning Pauline  was rescuing and re-homing donkeys on her own.

   She then joined the Donkey and Mule Society and became friends with the late Jenny Parker who was Rotorua's area representative.

In 2009 Pauline was invited to be a Trustee for the Donkey and Mule Protection Trust and joined up with the late Elton Moore from Putaruru and Alan Baguley from Whakatane.

Mamaku Donkey RRC works closely with the Trust and the number of rescued and re-homed donkeys have increased markedly.

So far over two hundred and fifty donkeys have gone through the centre with five donkeys remaining permanently

 

Four  donkeys together are left to right

Pauline has four donkeys of her own and Alan has two.

People give up their donkeys for various reasons including selling their lifestyle blocks and moving to retirement villages, ill health, lost interest, inability to manage them or a desire to find them a new loving home.

The Centre does not re-home entire jacks (stallions) as they can turn nasty, especially when a jenny (female) is in season.

When the centre is asked to pick up entire jacks they are  gelded (castrated) on the owners property or at the centre.

With lots of TLC and training they make lovely pets.

 

 Janet with Ester and Suzi

 

Pauline's hand on Chester with Milo looking on

 

 

All donkeys are registered with the Donkey and Mule Society and are now being micro-chipped.

Donkeys normally come in twos and re-homed as a pair because they should not be split up after they have bonded. 

 

Older donkey Rosie

 

Some donkeys are in such a poor way, they remain in rehab for up to a year before being re-homed.  
During this time there are numerous costs including hay, vet bills, worming pastes, halters, leads, ropes, hard feed and covers etc

 
 

 

 

Janet  with two white donkeys, Ester and Suzi

Donkeys make marvellous pets

Like all animals donkeys need a good diet of hay, prefer rough pasture and need  to be provided with waterproof shelters. 

Unlike horses their coats are not waterproof. 

 

Texture of  Milo's  tail

 

They need a farrier to trim their hooves every six to eight weeks, they need to be wormed and have an equine dentist to check their teeth every two years.  

When re-homing donkeys Mamaku RRC visit the potential new owners, inspect their property to ensure it is "donkey safe" and try to match donkeys to compatible people.

 

  Endearing  Monty looking over  the gatePauline and Alan trial the donkeys at their new homes for three months, visit and offer support and advice.
If  they, the donkeys and the potential owners are happy change of ownership and registration is transferred.

Some people like to foster donkeys which is fine.

If the foster parents' circumstances change the donkeys can always come back to Mamaku RCC

Ester and daughter Missy really look like twins

Pauline and Alan also go into the community with their donkeys to educate and promote donkey rescue.

 

They take their donkeys to schools, kindergartens, church events, rest homes and even children's wards in hospitals.

 

Chester behind back of Nibby

Milo the grey donkey


All donkeys are registered with the Donkey and Mule Society and are now being micro-chipped.

Donkeys normally come in twos and re-homed as a pair because they should not be split up after they have bonded. 

 

Donkeys are very affectionate they are often touching each other and people who visit them.

 

 They are adorable.

 

The gentle, kind, caring soulful eyes of Bella 

 

Mamaku Donkey Rescue, Rehoming Centre and Sanctuary is based at

896 B, State Highway 5, Tarukenga, RD2, Rotorua.

                 Enquiries and donations please  
               Phone:    027 698 5262

mailto:paulinesainsbury2017@gmail.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Textures on old farm building

 

 

 

Textures of old farm bricks

 

 

 

Magnificent rhyolite domes.

 

 

 Want to know more about  the donkeys at Mamaku Donkey Rescue, Rehoming Centre and Sanctuary ?

 

 Then contact Pauline and her team.

027 698 5262

paulinesainsbury2017@gmail.com  

 

 

 

  If you have a lifestyle block and would like to own or foster donkeys.

 

  If you would like to help save donkeys lives in New Zealand by donating money for their keep.

If you would like to follow the lives of the donkeys in rehab at the centre. 

 

 Every donkey arriving  at Mamaku Donkey RRC comes with their own fascinating story.

 

  Contact us and come for a visit

Mamaku Donkey Rescue, Rehoming Centre and Sanctuary

896 B, State Highway 5, Tarukenga, RD2, Rotorua.

                 Enquiries and donations please  
               Phone:    027 698 5262

Email: paulinesainsbury2017@gmail.com

 

Rosie, Milo, Nibby and Chester will be waiting to see you.

Creative Quotes of the day

 

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." ― Martin Buber 

 

 

How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand. Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul." ― Frances Hodgson Burnett

Mamaku Donkey Rescue, Rehoming Centre and Sanctuary

896 B, State Highway 5, Tarukenga, RD2, Rotorua.

                 Enquiries and donations please  
               Phone:    027 698 5262

Email: paulinesainsbury2017@gmail.com

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Red Barn, Homestay Accommodation Rotorua

     The Red Barn is a modern, purpose-built property, set on tranquil Lake Okareka farmland.


 Phone: 07 362 8118
              021 222 9692
If you are interested in booking....

Google 
www.redbarnlakeokareka.co.nz 
to find out more.

I spent a couple of hours with the  co-owner  Fran of the Red Barn, practising interior and exterior photography.
I was enchanted by the serenity and the functional attractive layout of the complex. 
It had just the type of feeling that my husband and I like when we book places overseas or around New Zealand. 
We prefer to stay in places where we have the whole house to ourselves and plenty of privacy. 

 After viewing this I felt like I didn't want to leave, It would be my preferred choice if I was going to stay at Lake Okareka.

  Here are some of its features
Just minutes from the lake and boat ramp but still in a peaceful rural setting

Plenty of parking, including bike stand and a secure shed to lock away biking, camping and boating gear.

Large dining lounge area for socialising after your day.


 BBQ outdoor area; (flat plate BBQ only).



Secure garden shed containing 2 kayaks and 3 mountain bikes, available for guests, (including life jackets and bike helmets).

 Suitable for meetings and small seminars.

Inviting artistic entrance way

Comfortable large, relaxing lounge

Wide screen television and plenty of light

 Large, well designed kitchen  with a dishwasher.
 Everything is modern, clean and tidy but still relaxed.



Views out of the kitchen onto farmland make cooking a pleasure

 Large dining table and quality, comfortable  furniture.

 Roomy, quiet bedrooms

 Two modern, functional, bathrooms

As soon as you arrive there you will know that you are in for  special moments in time.
There is room outside the Red Barn on the grass to pitch tents.




Animals,  (deer in this case),  in the paddocks next door with native bush background

Views that you can see if you go driving around Lake Okareka.

You will not see these views  from the Red Barn but you will if you go exploring along some of the roads  and hills around Lake Okareka.   

Lake Okareka is a safe, often calm lake that is great for swimming in the summer.


The area is a bird photographers paradise.
 I often go there to take photos of Paradise ducks and large flocks of Canada geese.
 The variety of water fowl is so extensive that I believe it would be a great place to stage a photographic workshop. 
My husband and I frequently walk along the board walks.
 It only takes twenty minutes to drive there from town.

 There is so much regenerating  native bush surrounding the lake that native birds are in abundance.
 The air is fresh and clean with absolutely no sulphur smell what-so-ever. 

Many of the people who live there are environmental appreciators
There is a strong community spirit at Lake Okareka so it feels like a safe place to be.

There are boardwalks along part of it with a fabulous bird hide. 
New boardwalks are being developed all the time  by a dedicated group of volunteers.
There are plans eventually for them to develop the walk so it goes right around the lake.

The owners  of the Red Barn are art appreciators and have this gate in their garden.
There is a lovely custom made sign at the entrance way to the Red Barn by the same artist as the gate above.
Finding it is relatively easy.

If you are interested in looking into accommodation, google the website and find out more.
www.redbarnlakeokareka.co.nz



Phone 07 362 8118
           021 222 9692

	Holidays and weekends away are essential for the soul;  take them as often as you can.

Creative Quotes of the day

    “When you do the right thing, you get the feeling of peace and serenity associated with it.
 Do it again and again.”
― Roy T. Bennett

I love holidays. 
It's such a wonderful time for the whole family to be together and not have to worry about schedules and that kind of thing.
Toni Collette


 

Mindfulness exercise for peace and fun. View from my front gate

Manipulated photos to look like abstract impressionist studies.

Take your camera out to your front gate.

Like A kaleidoscope

What do you see?

In Photoshop you can manipulate anything to look like anything you want.
It can be deliberate or random
What are the photos you choose saying about the way you view your world?

Creativity like this helps keep you in the moment.
 It doesn't matter what your view at your front gate is, you can make it look intriguing.

It is a great way to be mindful
 It's a matter of being grateful for what you have in the now and looking at what promises it provides instead of always hankering after something better.

Transportation into another world or realm.

Being grateful and focusing on the positive brings at your very doorstep brings  a kaleidoscope of possibilities to the fore.

 

 

Painting, photography and mosaic lessons available.

Rotorua,  New Zealand.

 

Email janet@jkeen.net for a schedule.

 

Send me your altered front gate views.

I love to receive feedback.

 

 

Creative Quote of the day  

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite, it actually takes guts.

Perma Chodron

 

 

 

 

 

Mosaics in Adelaide

Janet sitting on a giant mosaic 
Travelling overseas to Australia is great for a mosaic artist.
Australia takes mosaic artists seriously and considers it a proper "fine " art. 
The sculptures in all sorts of areas are pretty spectacular and well constructed.
 In my classes you won't learn how to make a structure like this as it's too large and time consuming but you will learn the principles with smaller projects that you can take hiome and place in your garden as focal points.

Mosaic makling is very fashionable again. 
Classes from 9.30 to 11.30 Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings. 
Phone 073463435
 or text  0273513887 to enrol. 
Also email enquiries to  janet@jkeen.net

Palmers for amazing punnets of annuals and vegetables.

I  often go to Palmers for seedlings because they are all very well looked after and healthy.
You could say they feel loved because the people at Palmers are passionate about plants.

 Impatiens,  Palmers, good for shady areas .
I bought some of these for my goldfish pond area.
I love their pop of colour.
They last a long time so are good value with their repeat flowering, especially if you pick off spent blooms.

Petunias, Palmers.
I have some of these in my vege garden.
 I mix flowers with veges to attract the bees and also to make the garden look more attractive.

Marigolds are my number one preference for companion planting in the vege garden.
 They ward off harmful  insects because they do not like the aroma of marigolds.

 Petunias come in an array of almost lolly like colours.

Petunias are a great choice because they repeat flower.
They don't seem to sulk with all this rain we have been blessed with.

The merchandising in the garden section is very inspiring with water features and statues dotted around the area.

 I love angels and I think sculptures in a garden are good for focal points and  add interest and texture.
I have a lot of mosaics in my garden that sparkle along with the flowers.
At the moment I am painting tulips with Resene test pots to dot in amongst the veges and to be a support for peas

 I bought three of these Platycodins at Palmers.
 I loved them for their balloon like flowers.
 They are sitting in amongst the silverbeet, parsley and lettuces in one of the vege gardens.

 They come in pink and purple.
One of my friends came around to see my garden and fell in love with the purple Platycodin and high- tailed it to Palmers to buy one for herself.
 She has it in her conservatory in a pot and it makes a lovely focal point.
 I recommend them for their repeat flowering performances.

Lettuces are my favourite at the moment.

We are having salads out of the garden most nights.

Eating veges out of your own garden taste crunchy and fresh.

You can't beat them.

I just go around my whole garden with some scissors and  chop herbs edible flowers lettuces young silver-beet small courgettes, basil, parsley and beetroot leaves and pile them all into a salad.

Drop some cider vinegar, mustard and garlic, plus olive oil dressing on top and with a can of salmon it's a quick,  nutritious dinner.

 

 

 

Parsley is another herb that I grow  in  my vege garden as it is a great companion plant and helps others to grow.
My garden is organic.
I don't use any pesticides as I am surrounded by beehives from neighbours and I don't want to kill them.

 I have a lot of mosaics in my garden but I have my eye on these angels because I think they are very sweet.

 They go well with water features.
I have a goldfish pond in my garden that my husband made me.
At the moment we have 14 residents.
I want some more because I used to have 23.
 I will be buying them from Wonderworld Aquarium which is down the bottom of my road.

I think someone's cat whisked some away but I have no hard evidence.
Not even a whisker.
I 'm pretty sure it wasn't my  cat Jasper as I have never seen him snooping around fish.


My last cat Gary managed to catch some until I dunked him in the pond and he didn't go near it again.

 This is an utterly beautiful hibiscus from Palmers  that I would love for my garden

And here are some more statues that look so lovely in amongst the plants.

 

So if you want a quick "Pick me up"  go to Palmers have a look at their lovely shop, water features, flowers and vege seedlings.

Buy something and dig it into your garden.

It is really uplifting to see how rapidly they grow.

 

When this rain stops I will go around my garden and show you some of the plants in it that I have bought from Palmers.

 

Creative Quote:

It's been proven by quite a few studies that plants are good for our psychological development. If you green an area, the rate of crime goes down. Torture victims begin to recover when they spend time outside in a garden with flowers. So we need them, in some deep psychological sense, which I don't suppose anybody really understands yet. Jane Goodall