Tim Garrick of T Garrick Fencing (Whakatutu) represents much needed younger blood into the industry. Working in good genuine Gisborne hill country Tim tackles this type of work as a backbone to his business.
The job
This was a recent job, carried out in late September/ October this year, having booked it in to fit around larger jobs that were looming with summer approaching. It was priced on a metre rate, factoring the travelling to the back of the job and the augering required due to the varying ground conditions.
This job was located 45min north of Gisborne, a Matawai conservation area or locally known as Block 93. The Job was a boundary between farmland and Department of Conservation land bush. It was a kilometre of 2100 mm H deer fencing, the last portion of a three-kilometre job.
The fence line was on the back of the property, about a 30 minute ride out on quad bikes when conditions were good. The ridgeline is about 1000m altitude and quite exposed, on the edge of bushland with big bluffs and signs of upheaval from tectonic plates.
The tools
The fence line was put in by another bulldozer operator who the farmer uses and a Excavator, mainly wiping scrub
off and the excavator clearing the line (Tim has a Komatsu 31P with a rear mounted FENCEQUIP that he normally clears lines with).
The farmer carted in and laid out the material. Post spacings were closed up to 3 metres, as requested by the farmer to help with pressure from the deer and to allow for following the ground contour better. The fence was erected as the farm runs commercial deer and the fence would also be used to trap wild deer.
The challenge
Ground conditions varied greatly with rim rock, compromising of sandstone and fossilised rock, pumice and everything in between. Tim drilled it with a Revolution planetary Auger kit and FENCEQUIP 100 mm Auger for inline posts and 150 mm Auger for angles and strainers.
Footing and staying was adapted to suit ground conditions. Some tie backs were necessary due to needing access up and down line. Some footing was not needed in the solid rock otherwise swinging foots were used in normal soil.
While Tim and his team were up there working a weather bomb came through – it snowed throughout the day and the area got a good dump overnight, slowing things down momentarily!
Written by Debbie White and Tim Garrick
www.facebook.com/T-Garrick-Fencing
Published in the Difficult & Demanding Fencelines Feature in WIRED Issue 67 / December 2022 by Fencing Contacts Association NZ