New Zealand · FARMS
18 reviewed
Here are the 15 best farm visits anywhere in New Zealand, set out with the price, the running time and the town each one leaves from. The one at the top earned its place.
Cruise Lake Whakatipu, visit Walter Peak High Country Farm for animal feeding, sheep shearing, sheepdog herding, and freshly baked tea.
“the animals are super cute and the location is amazing plus there is a viewing platform for the engine room”
Evening cruise from Queenstown to Walter Peak for a buffet dinner, sheepdog herding, and shearing show, plus narrated Lake Wakatipu views.
“About 4 hours duration: 45 minute cruise on TSS Earnslaw and 2 hours for lunchel and sheep shearing show. The boat is great, the lunch fantastic and the sheep dog and sheep muster & shearing were all hugely enjoyable. Best thing about Queenstown.”
Hop aboard the TSS Earnslaw for a Lake Wakatipu cruise, then tour Walter Peak Farm with sheepdog shows and afternoon tea.
“Loved the open space and the guided tour. Feeding the bulls was a lovely experience and so was the beautiful scenic view from the cruise!”
Rotorua’s Agrodome brings you a working Kiwi farm show, a hands-on animal nursery, and a covered farm tour with honey and kiwifruit.
“We really enjoyed the tour, all the people that showed us around and organized the activities were doing a very good job! Especially our best tourguide Jack! (You guys really need to give some commission of the sold Manuka honey to him 😉) The activities were very nice! We had a great show and went to different animals and had the option to feed them, was a lot of fun! 🤣”
Agrodome Farm near Rotorua pairs a lively 1-hour sheep show with a tractor-based farm tour, animal feeding, and dog herding demos.
“The show was very polished and entertaining. The sheep deserve oscars. We didn't do the farm tour or the hatchery, but these looked good. We enjoyed the playground, and the cafe. The food was very reasonably priced as well as good quality and tasty. I recommend the BBQ box!”
An easy 1-hour alpaca farm visit in Akaroa with up-close cuddles, feeding time, and big harbor views, plus clear animal care tips.
“Very well organised, informative and interactive tour! There's a lot to learn about how to interact respectfully with the alpacas and Rising Sun, the king of the alpacas here, is such a star. The guides were also very helpful and egged us to interact with the alpacas, showing us individual sweet spots of each individual alpaca. The scenery was beautiful as well! At the end of the tour, they even provided light refreshments and the toilets were very clean.”
Cruise Lake Whakatipu to Walter Peak Farm for a wood-fired BBQ buffet, a colonial homestead setting, and a family farm demonstration.
“Just perfect. Great commentary and the lunch was amazing !! Beautiful setting . Thank you to Jo for the sheep shearing and Jacob for looking after us at lunch 🤗”
Working sheep farm near Christchurch, picnic lunch with ocean views, Waipara wine tasting, and a short botanic gardens visit.
“Our Mr Driver, Simon was humorous, friendly, professional, knowledgeable. Most importantly he was frank - when he wasnt sure about interesting questions we raised he told us he would find out answers. Varieties of programs provided......”
Tauranga to Rotorua day trip with Mt Maunganui beach, kiwi orchard, Lake Rotorua sights, mineral parks, and optional Wai-O-Tapu.
“Roger was a knowledgeable and humorous guide and an excellent driver. He went out of his way to meet the sightseeing priorities of all guests. Eight of the 10 guests were from our ship berthed in Tauranga. Unfortunately, and unknown to Roger, the remaining 2 were actually staying in Rotorua, which meant a lot of back-tracking which meant our tour took about 2 hours longer than planned. Credit to Roger, he was determined that the couple in Rotorua missed nothing. If you are on a cruise ship, we think Roger offers a personalised small group tour at a far better price than the much larger group shore excursions available on-board.”
2-hour Carbon Positive Lake Tekapo farm tour by 4WD: feed sheep and alpacas, taste honey and spring water, and enjoy Mt. John views.
“fantastische uitzichten en leuke uitleg over farming in NZ. de ontvangst en het bekijken van de beestjes aan het begin is kleuterschool en mogen ze weglaten wat ons betreft.”
Cruise Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Farm for a BBQ buffet at Colonel’s Homestead, plus a farm demo and great views.
“Food was good and dessert was delicious. The view was wonderful could only wish the boat ride was a little bit longer”
Lake Whakatipu catamaran cruise plus Walter Peak Farm tour: sheepdog herding, feed sheep and deer, and tea in a historic woolshed.
“Lovely boat trip and farm tour. Plenty of blankets on the boat trip to keep warm. Unfortunately the commentary from the skipper was not very easy to hear clearly. Plenty of opportunities to feed the animals on our tour of the farm. Sheep shearing and herding demonstration were very good. Beautiful afternoon tea, plenty to eat and drink in the lovely dining room. Gluten free options provided.”
Cruise from Lyttelton to a working sheep farm, then into central Christchurch for rebuild-era highlights, views, gardens, and Cathedral Square.
“Most of the day trip was riding the bus, the guide had no rear speaker (should be a must ) we were not able to hear any information or what she was saying or talking , the ride to the sheep farm was 1.5 hour on way The visit itself was short and below expectations and then driving back to the ship another 1.5 hour , very poor experience”
Self-drive Rotorua buggy through farm tracks and native bush with a guide, practice run, and standout viewpoints for $89.
“Awesome experience, amazing views of Rotorua. Isaac was an amazing guide, highy recommend.”
Akaroa Harbour views and a working sheep farm show, with sheepdog herding, shearing, and afternoon tea, plus port transfers.
“Very good tour of the area around Akaroa. The guide was very knowledge and spoke the whole time about the areas we were being shown. The farmer explained how a sheet farm and his dog Tom put on a show on working and moving a herRead more”
