ABOUT OUR OPERATION:
Our farm, called Waitohi Downs, has been around since the early 1900's. Lawrie and Jenny took over when they bought the property in 1981 from Lawrie's father, who owned and worked the farm for 35 years. Since then, they have added stables and woodchip yards for the horses, sheep, deer and cattle yards and varied paddocks for stock grazing. The property stretches from the homestead in the foothills up into the high country and over to the flats of the trout and salmon filled Hurunui River and the 100-acre pine forest where the boundary lies. This provides a diverse choice of paddocks for the stock to feed in, and also plenty of space to grow grass for haymaking. Around the 100-year-old homestead is a beautiful landscaped garden, sloping down to a pond, which is home to black swans and other assorted bird life.
The hills on the property are covered in silver tussock, which looks magical blowing in the breeze. There are also Manuka and Kanuka bushes, Flax, Matagouri and Tauwhini to be seen around the place. These plants play an important role in Alpine Horse Safaris - our horses are all named after native plants, all of which may be seen on our trips.
During our busy summer months, the hay needs to be made to feed the stock the following winter, and lambs are drafted to be sold on. The lambing season here begins in late September for about a month, and the calves also arrive in September, making it a busy month. The cattle are all Angus and Angus Cross (with a Charollais Bull) and the young calves born in September are sold at 7 months old in April.
We organize a number of fixed-date and customized "horse safaris." These trips begin in October and run through til May, although rides are taken all year round. You can read more about those trips here. Aside from the 35 riding and pack horses, We have about 10 breeding mares and 2 stallions from which they breed all of their own Clydesdale Thoroughbred Cross horses. The foals are born from about late October each year; at present there are about 15 yearlings and 2 and 3 year olds, all waiting to be handled and broken in for use on the farm. Lastly the fawns arrive in November, making Waitohi Downs a real nursery during the spring and early summer. The ewes are shorn in July, well before the lambing begins, and the hoggets (one year olds) a little later in August and September. The velvetting of the deer antlers also happens at this time of year, beginning in November through to December.
If you want to experience a genuine sheep or cattle muster, and see how the horses and dogs are used at work, come and pay us a visit. Here at Waitohi Downs we are one of the few places in New Zealand that you can come and ride quality horses and become involved as part of a real working farm at the same time.
We have our own Web Site with a page telling how you can find us, coming from different places.
THE HOMESTAY
We offer the opportunity to take a guided tour around the farm to see the beautiful scenery and the variety of stock kept here. This would be as part of the everyday routine, so guests can see exactly what happens as the farm is worked. We can also give sheep shearing demonstrations - there are always the odd woolly ones around that need a haircut! It is almost a daily occurrence to ride on horseback around the farm, often to muster stock for various reasons. We are happy to take our guests along with us when mustering, giving them the opportunity to see areas that are not part of the usual safaris. This also offers the chance to see the farm dogs at work with the stock, an experience that is quite amazing for first time viewers.
For those of you who simply want to relax, we have beautiful landscaped gardens sloping down to a woodland and pond which is home to ducks and swans. There are many opportunities for walking around the area, with 4 wheel drive tracks and trails across much of the country perfect for seeing the views on foot.
Whatever activity you choose, or you prefer to relax and read in the garden, we will always have a hearty meal ready for you at the end of the day, and a warm and comfortable bed to get a good nights sleep in. We love meeting people from all over the world, and welcome you into our home in the hope that you can experience a part of real Kiwi life during your time with us.
For more information about our trail rides, click here.
