“This sort of event is always very popular in any district, but this is a really different sort of experience coming to the city,” she said.
“And it’s the first annual, so I’ve got my souvenir bull catalogue to put in with all the others.”
Each of the 20 specially bred Simmental bulls is worth thousands of dollars.
Even with four stomachs, such a beefy price tag is hard to digest.
“Well, actually … We were just looking at the scones and sausage rolls, because we think the bulls are going to be out of our budget,” Cynthia admitted.
But some brave bidders were ready to take the bull by the horns.
“I’ve looked through the catalogue and spotted some favourites,” Rebecca said.
“I’ll have to see once the bidding starts, I hope I don’t get carried away, stupidly.”
Repeat customer Ray was keeping his cards close to his chest.
“I do have a budget … But that’s my business,” he laughed.
That attention was good news for farm manager Peter Maxwell.
It was his first time hosting an auction, and with beef prices at an all time high – the steaks are even higher.
“The beef market’s really strong, so it might be a good year to have a first go at an auction like this,” he said.
Auctioneer Cam Heggie and farm manager Peter Maxwell.
“These are breeders, these will go onto some possibly purebred herds or to some crossbred herds, that’s the big thing about Simmental cattle, they cross well with a lot of other breeds.”
For auctioneer Cam Heggie, this wasn’t his first rodeo.
He had sold cattle from Cornwall Park for several years, but said it was a novelty to host an auction on the farm itself.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to deal with Cornwall Park for a number of years, but there’s a lot of people who don’t even know there’s a Simmental stud in the middle of downtown Auckland.
“So to run an auction here, it’s actually pretty cool.”
He said the bulls, raised in a fast moo-ving urban environment, were among the calmest he had met.
“Unbelievable temperament, on not only the bulls but the cattle here at Cornwall Park in general,” he said.
“I could probably say, without fear of contradiction, these would be the quietest cattle I deal with day to day. Look at them in the paddock there, they just wander up to you, just incredible.”
At a rapid-fire auction, the bulls sold for an average of $5615, the highest for a whopping $8000.
Maxwell was pleased with the results.
A cattle auction at Epsom’s inner city Cornwall Park.
“We haven’t sold a bull for that sort of money before, so that’s pretty cool.”
“That was a pretty amazing sale, to be all over in 30 minutes with a high average like that. A lot of work went into that so I’m pretty pleased about it.”
Proceeds from the bull sale will be reinvested into the park and farm operations.