“Scott, Kelly and their 3 children visited Tui Ridge from Canada.
We loved having them visit us and we hope your next few weeks in New Zealand is just as special.”

Te Punga Farming – Tui Ridge Homestay in NZ

After we left Auckland we headed south towards our next destination. We had found a full house with four bedrooms on a farm in the countryside. The drive was a little nerve wracking in the sense we were all starting to wonder where we were going to end up, it seemed quite far off the beaten path. Safe to say we were more than pleasantly surprised when we drove up to an extremely cute and cozy farmhouse on over 1000 hectares of farmland.

From the moment we stepped onto the front porch you could tell that this place was put together with a loving touch. Walking inside the home showed much of the same. From the decorative pillows, the welcoming note, farm fresh eggs on the counter, and the plants throughout the house, this place had such a warm and comfortable feel to it. We felt at home immediately.

There were sheep grazing in the front yard, and cattle off on the hills. The rolling green countryside was awe-inspiring. What an amazing find for our second stay in New Zealand.

We settled in and picked our sleeping arrangements. The kids all decided to share a room together with three single beds in it. They were clearly at home as they got right to playing some games together and getting along extremely well. It was so nice to see.

After we cooked some dinner we sat around and played Beat the Parents, a board game that was at the house. It was a ton of fun, and the kids did Beat the Parents!

Everyone was quite tired and packed it in for the night. The morning also went smooth with a nice breakfast and coffee. We all went for a walk on the farm and later Kirsten, the owner, brought some of the farm dogs over to meet the kids. We had a great chat with her and found out some facts about the property. She pointed out an avocado tree, and a lemon tree. Also, she let us know that possums are a troublesome pest in New Zealand. They had been getting at the lemons, but just the skin! They left the flesh behind. We likened them to raccoons in Canada.

We had a lovely visit with her and her three dogs Izzy, Bo, and Rolly. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing, playing cards, the kids playing outside in the yard, adults reading our books.

Tomorrow we pack up and start to make our way towards our next stops on the North Island. We will for sure miss Tui Ridge Homestay and it will certainly be a fond memory on this journey for all of us.