Farming and Footy Tour 'trip of lifetime'

Shaking hands with All Black coach Steve Hansen, visiting a traditional Welsh beef and sheep farm, and standing in the centre of Tokyo's busiest street with millions of other people were some of the highlights of Pendarves fireman Dennis Bird's recent All Black Farming and Footy Tour.

It was the trip of his lifetime, so far, and it has given him the travel bug.

Mr Bird, a former Pendarves farmer, made a five-week trip, during which he took in the sights of Japan's largest city, Tokyo, and visited farmers in England, Wales and Ireland.

He also left the tour to visit family friends in Copenhagen, Denmark, where the temperature was -3degC all day.

It was at Tokyo airport, en route to England, that Mr Bird met Hansen - and All Black/Crusaders No10 Richie Mo'unga - and shook their hands.

While Mr Bird was in the United Kingdom, Brexit negotiations between government officials were in full swing.

He said the few farmers he spoke to were uneasy about the British Government's plan for Brexit and the general feeling on the ground was anti-Brexit, with concerns of loss of future earning potential and restrictions around sending farm produce into Europe.

The farm visits included a goat dairy farm in England, a traditional beef and sheep property in Wales, and a company in Ireland that produced round bales of maize baleage, which were then wrapped in black to cook in the heat, before being sent around Ireland for dairy stock.

Bulk photos and video footage earned Mr Bird the on-tour ''Steven Spielberg Award''.

Led by seasoned travellers Paul and Gaye Allison, of Central Otago, the tour had 30 fellow Kiwis - many of them having current or former rural backgrounds or working in the rural industry - visit Tokyo, London and Dublin where they supported the All Blacks as they played against Japan, England and Ireland respectively, during their end-of-year rugby tour.

Between games, the group took in the farm visits and tourist destinations including the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, the Irish National Horse Stud, crafted the perfect pint of Guinness, visited Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone and cruised on the Thames.

Mr Bird took in the Armistice Day commemoration and was among a crowd gathered at the gates of Buckingham Palace as Prince Charles was driven past.

It was his first visit to the northern hemisphere after many years travelling back and forth to Australia.

The extensive throng of people in Tokyo, the heritage buildings of Europe and England, and the Roman and Viking history of the Danish people had ''blown me away'' Mr Bird said, and if the opportunity came up again, he would ''jump at the chance''.