Andrea chases a woolly dream.

While in New Zealand, Andrea, one of my study abroad friends, became enamored with the country’s four-legged, woolly inhabitants. And, in case you aren’t aware, sheep make up the majority of New Zealand’s population by far — like, we’re talking at least a 10-to-1 sheep-to-human ratio here.

Andrea decided that, before she left the country, she was going to hug a New Zealand sheep. Here’s how it happened:

Chasing a Woolly Dream

“Jamie, pull over right now. Right now, seriously Jamie, pull over!”

Andrea had forsaken her seatbelt and looked ready to tuck and roll out of the car at any second, despite the fact that she was shoeless and had her belt unbuckled and dangling around her hips.

“I need to hug a wild sheep.”

For the past few months, as we’d lived in a country where the sheep-to-human ratio is roughly 10:1, animal-loving Andrea had been intent on getting cuddly with one of New Zealand’s woolly, four-legged inhabitants. And, for the past couple of days, as we’d driven through New Zealand’s sheep-covered South Island, her goal got closer and closer to becoming reality.

“Wild” in this case meant a sheep or lamb that was not behind a fence; I don’t think truly “wild” sheep exist anywhere, least of all in New Zealand. But lots of sheep do exist there, especially in the south, where sprawling sheep farms are the norm.

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