AVT Farm Tour
Located at the heart of a high-performing Lamb and Beef Farm: Te Karaka Station, guests who choose to stay at Te Karaka Lodge often enjoy the experience of hopping on the back of the Farm Manager James’ ATV, accompanied by his clever farm dogs, and going on a private tour around the Station.
In New Zealand, a station in farming means a substantial-sized lamb and beef farm, similar to a ranch in the United States. The high-quality lamb, beef and dairy products produced in North Waikato, as well as other rural parts of New Zealand, are at the core of New Zealand’s export industry. James has been our Station Manager since the early 2000s, and brought up his children at the Station. One of them, Matt, is also working at the station as the shepherd’s assistant.
When you book a private AVT farm tour with James, you will not be taken to a show ground and watch a rehearsed show or routine. Instead, you will be taken around the farm race to look at where the actual mahi (work) is done, the cattle yard where the farmers work with 500-700 kilos of a bull or a steer, the implement shed where the farm machinery is kept, the woolshed, the manukau bushes, the close up of cattles making unbroken eye-contact and more.
The farm dogs are always Guests’ favourite, they are just so hard working and well trained! If the animals need to be moved from one paddock to another, the guests will witness the clever dogs working closely with the farmers to move a mob of a few hundred sheep or cattle in under 10 minutes!
Our animals are very well looked after; they get to live a very carefree life outside most of their lives, which can be surprising to some of our international guests. Our Station James wants to use those tours to educate and advocate for good practices in farming, and he is always happy to share!
Whether you are interested in
Where does all the wool go, and how profitable (or not) the wool business is;
Where do the animals go at night, or when it rains?
How do the dogs herd the animals, and how could they understand the instructions?
Why is manuka honey so expensive?
and many, many more
Or if you are a fellow farmer, or someone interested in the New Zealand Farming industry, and would like to understand the insights, policies, operational strategies, environmental regulations, considerations and solutions, and all the other farmers’ struggles, let us know, we will book you in with James for a technical farm tour!
Email us at stay@tekarakalodge.co.nz to book your polished yet authentic farmstay with us today.