Goat to do what you’ve goat to do

A goat in a coat, afloat in a boat; no joke.

It reads like a Dr Seuss fantasy but for residents at the  seaside village of Purakaunui, 30 minutes north of Dunedin, this is part of daily life.

Purakaunui resident Dan, who declined to give his surname and is known locally as "Dan the goat man", adopted a young goat nine years ago as a pet.

Dan said the baby feral goat was picked up by two snowboarders at Arthurs Point near Queenstown, but the novelty of caring for the animal soon wore off.

Alex, full name Alex Kidd, is house-trained, car-trained and boat-trained, he said.

On Thursday, the pair crossed the Purakaunui inlet by boat, went over the bar and headed around Potato Point to go camping along the coast, a regular jaunt when sea conditions allow.

Usually Alex sleeps in a raised goat house in Dan’s backyard, and the pair walk around the coastal township most days.

Despite what might seem to many like an unusual relationship, Dan said having a goat for a pet was not much different from owning a dog.