Roam - Oh, My! Omarama! - Honda New Zealand

o A M O M A R A M A
oh, My! oMArAMA!
fancy a holiday with a difference? try a farMstay. we visit oMaraMa in the MackenZie country and
find a place of unparalleled beauty and highly distinctive character.
Words by Bonnie Tucker • Photography by Rob Tucker
The mysTical souTh island high counTry still shows signs
of the pioneering spirit that helped shape the new Zealand
we know today. omarama station is recommended as an
enterprise which still represents that spirit and sense of
new Zealand history ... and we were not disappointed.
we’re in the Mackenzie country for our first farmstay
adventure. picking up a well-groomed crv at christchurch
honda, we first head for fairlie where we’ve been told of
a great lunch at the old library. no let-down here.
the library was built in 1914 by american millionaire
andrew carnegie, who made his money in steel. he
believed that those who accumulated great wealth had
a moral obligation to give their fortune away to help
society. carnegie donated money to build 2509 libraries
throughout the english-speaking world including britain,
australia and new Zealand. (i hope he liked food as the
fairlie library is now a café.)
the Mackenzie country is full of great stories from
yesteryear and as we drive along well-sealed highways in
comfort, i’m reminded of the legend of Mrs scott from
godley peaks station. apparently, she could be seen
bouncing along in the car driven by her husband on their
way home from town, throwing lupin seeds out the window
in order to beautify the Mackenzie country roadsides.
beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however, doc is
trying to get rid of the plants, now considered weeds. but
a few purple lupin heads are still waving at us as we drive
along. Mrs scott would be pleased.
arriving in omarama we find the longview farmstay
sign just outside the town limits. greeted by annabelle
and richard subtil at the homestead, we are immediately
made to feel welcome.
living in kuala lumpur with a three-month-old baby is
a far cry from running this 12,000-hectare, high-country
sheep station, but when annabelle and richard got the
call from annabelle’s family 10 years ago, they jumped
at the chance to return to one of the starkest and most
beautiful parts of new Zealand’s south island.
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r o A M O M A R A M A
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o A M O M A R A M A
The Subtil family
> in one oF the bAckblock vAlleyS we coMe uPon A genuine MuStererS’
corrugAted-iron hut coMPlete with kAPok-MAttreSSed bunkS And A Stone
FirePlAce where you could cook A whole beASt on the SPit.
Not content to just run the station, Richard and Annabelle
have also taken over the farm/family stays, which Annabelle’s
parents, Beth and Dick Wardell, started 14 years ago. Richard and
Annabelle, too, are interested in meeting people from all parts of
the world and all walks of life and this sideline sits well with their
children Emma (10) and Henry (8), who are happy to converse
with the strangers at their table.
The cottage we are staying in is detached from the main
house and dinner is at 6.30pm. In the meantime, we are free to
roam the house paddocks. As evening approaches, we venture
to the woolshed where long shadows and late-evening colours
make classic autumn landscape photography a breeze. This is an
enviably healthy lifestyle, albeit hard and demanding work. All
family members have horses, there are pigs to provide pork and
bacon, apple trees bending to offer fruit by the bucket-load and
lovely, comfortable accommodation to share with travellers.
“There is never nothing to do on the farm,” advises Annabelle
On day two, Richard is happy to include us in his first chore for
the day – a trip to the backblocks, scaling the huge hills where the
merino roam, to deposit the licking salt which is essential for the
sheep to obtain the minerals the soil lacks.
When this trip is offered, we look over Richard’s shoulder at the
horses in the home paddock and cross our fingers that he doesn’t
intend them to be our transportation. Luckily, he ushers us to the
farm ute. A real farm ute: scoped rifle on board to cope with any
unwanted rabbits, three loyal dogs on the back tray, tools for
every imaginary need, and dust … dust everywhere. Car cleaning
would be a waste of valuable time on this workhorse.
The steep ride up and over the hills is not for the fainthearted
but the view for miles is breathtaking. Gold briar bushes
(providing stock with generous amounts of vitamin C), yellow
tussock, brown soil and grasses make up the shade palette and
every now and then there’s the contrasting lush green of an
irrigated paddock on the lowlands.
In one of the backblock valleys we come upon a genuine
musterers’ corrugated-iron hut complete with kapok-mattressed
bunks and a stone fireplace where you could cook a whole beast
on the spit. Readers may recognise the description from a recent
TV commercial for a well-known beer brand featuring a postman
delivering mail to a remote high-county hut. Yes, that man did
deserve a beer. This is the very hut used in the commercial and is
booked for a family overnight visit as a treat for Emma and Henry
in the coming school holidays.
We didn’t manage to spy all of the 15,000 sheep on the
station. Merino are shy and hard to see as their brownish wool
merges with the surroundings, but those we did see were healthy
with fabulous amounts of wool on their frames. The wool is
of the highest quality and sought after by high-end garment
Wanaka
Lake Hawea
Twizel
Omarama
CENTRAL OTAGO
manufacturers. Omarama Station prides itself on its wool being
of a good length, strong and with the right amount of crimping.
Among its largest clients is Icebreaker NZ.
One of the most exciting finds of the stay for us city folk is
the shearers’ quarters. This is not only used in the shearing
season but as an attractive option for families and sporting
groups to stay. The three bunkrooms sleep six each, including a
generous double room with ensuite for parents or group leaders.
The communal kitchen, lounge and bathroom blocks provide
everything a family could want plus the view at your back door is
of towering high country.
In contrast to the homestay, which is personal, the family
stay offers a farm experience in a unique environment but
independent of the homestead. Richard and Annabelle try
their best to offer a farm experience to everyone but it must
be appreciated that at the peak times of station production
(November–Easter), this will not always be possible. Luckily,
there are plenty of other activities in the region to fill the day.
Minimum stay is two nights and rates for the family stay are $80
per bunkroom, $50 for the double room per night. Family/group
booking for the whole complex is $250 per night.
The farm hills may be gold but the farm operation is green. It
has its own hydro scheme to provide hot water and storage heat
for cooking (for three houses on the property); the woolshed
runs by its own diesel generator; anything that can be recycled
is; and the house pig makes good use of scraps.
If you enjoy photography you will find clear blue skies,
breathtaking outdoors, snow-capped mountains and the intense
blue waters of the many beautiful lakes in the region. But choose
your season. Travelling in April, we experienced autumn colours,
1 E C L I P S E E C L I P S E 1
Lake Tekapo
Fairlie
Waimate
OAMARU
Geraldine
TIMARU
but mid-winter will provide more snow and the odd hoar frost
through to spring with fresh green and snowy mountaintops.
Omarama is big, wide, open New Zealand. Be brave and visit.
It should be on your “must-do” list.
thingS to do in oMArAMA
• Visit the Clay Cliffs, a 15-minute drive on a metal road (our six-speed,
manual CRV handled this as good as a rally car).
• Go trout fishing (small and lively, apparently). Catch-and-release is
applauded.
• Have lunch at the Wrinkly Rams Café.
• Ski in winter.
• Try watersports on Lake Benmore (just down the road) in summer. Twizel
also has a perfect lake for rowing.
• Go gliding – Omarama is the Southern Hemisphere centre for gliding.
Best time of year is summer.
• Practice your photography – spectacular sights to be found all year round.
• The preferred beer is Speights.
• Visit the Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow (March) close by.
thingS to See on the drive FroM chriStchurch
fairlie: Statue of legend James Mackenzie and his dog.
burkes pass (on Highway 8 through to Lake Tekapo): stunningly blue water.
lake tekapo: the Church of the Good Shepherd in memory of the Mackenzie
Country pioneers.
lake alexandrina: baches, boatsheds and not a soul around.
loch cameron: surrounded by autumn yellows.
twizel: a power station town that has survived.