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Rangitikei, New Zealand Farmstay

Mt Huia Farm Experience Introduction

Mt Huia Farm Experience is our New Zealand farmstay set on a working farm in the Rangitikei hill country of Manawatu, the home of Hodd Cottage, Farmstay B&B and Weka Walks.

Our Manawatu accommodation is perfect for guests who wish to experience the real New Zealand and is also the ideal stopover for people travelling between Rotorua and Wellington.

Stay at Mt Huia, an authentic central North Island sheep and cattle farm and relax in comfortable accommodation. Enjoy the marked walks across pastureland and through native bush, and join in with the farm activities.

Our guests are assured a warm friendly welcome, quality standard of presentation, and a great kiwi experience.

Our New Zealand Farmstay Accommodation

Farmstay B&B – With garden views and morning sun, our quality guest rooms offer you a comfortable and peaceful stay, where you will experience friendly hospitality and fresh and fabulous food. Two double bedrooms both with en suite are part of our comfortable and inviting homestead built in 1928 from native timbers milled on the property.

The Garden Room offers guests a lovely warm bed with woollen blankets and duvet, polished floor with shag pile wool rug, and mahogany Queen Anne furniture to ensure your comfort. The room is attached to the homestead but has its own access from a north facing verandah – the perfect place to read a book or the newspaper while enjoying the sun and serenity.

If you prefer to have a little independence, or have travel companions and require two rooms, the Paddock Studio is for you. This spacious studio-type room converted from the original washhouse (laundry) is ideal. It is just behind the homestead and has a twin or king bed, television, kitchenette with fridge and microwave, and a private bathroom. Breakfast can be eaten privately in the Paddock Studio, or hosted in-house.

Hodd Cottage – The perfect place for family or group holidays, or just a quiet get-away for a couple. Self-contained and tastefully decorated, Hodd Cottage is set in a fenced garden, and has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and has all amenities.

A cosy "home away from home" where you can sit on the sun-soaked deck and watch animals grazing in the paddocks and enjoy the flight and song of tuis and wood pigeons; relax in the separate lounge in comfortable armchairs with a good book; sleep in comfort on quality beds which are warm and comfortable.

Relax in the separate lounge in comfortable armchairs with a good book and sleep in comfort on quality beds which are warm and comfortable.

Other features of Hodd Cottage include:

• Two bathroom areas with shower and bath, and separate toilet
• Fully equipped attractive kitchen
• Several catering options to suit individual preferences
• Laundry with automatic washing machine
• Separate lounge with open fire and television
• Beds with electric blankets made up with fresh linen
• Selection of books, magazines, games and jig saw puzzles
• Stereo and CD Player
• Private access to secluded river

The perfect place for family or group holidays, or just a quiet get-away for a couple.

For further information about our Manawatu accommodation, please contact us or visit our New Zealand farmstay Web site.

New Zealand Farmstay Hosts

Neil and Virginia have been farming for over 20 years at Mt Huia, where they raised their two (now adult) daughters.

A love of the outdoors, family life, sport, animals and the garden encompass their main interests. They take pride in providing a homely, relaxed environment, and enjoy meeting and conversing with guests.

Neil and Virginia are proud of the area in which they have developed their farm and family interests, and aim to have all their guests leave with good memories, feeling refreshed, and knowing that their visit was important to them.

Attractions and Farm Activities

Mt Huia is fortunate to be located centrally to the Rangitikei and Manawatu Districts, allowing visitors to easily access the many local and regional attractions in this fast developing tourist area.

You can enjoy convenient shopping with a difference at boutique gift, fashion and craft stores in the friendly rural towns. Take advantage of free parking while you savour a delicious coffee at one of the many exceptional cafés.

A family holiday at Hodd Cottage means your children can be having fun outdoors while breathing fresh country air and developing healthy appetites! Neil is great with children—he enjoys taking them with him on the quad bike and out on the farm, mustering stock or joining in with seasonal farm jobs.

For Farmstay B&B guests, if time and farm commitments permit, Neil can take you on a quick quad tour of the farm, to give you an appreciation of the rugged beauty of this hill country farming area.

The Mangawharariki River at the point below Hodd Cottage is accessible only by Mt Huia guests. In summer it is a slow-flowing shallow stream with clear pure water which pools into occasional "holes" which are great for swimming.

A quiet walk along the river bed, checking rocks for signs of fossils (which are plentiful), is a peaceful relaxing way to spend a few hours of holiday time. And if you are especially lucky, you may even see the fallow deer which have made their home on the river banks.

That feeling of being the first person to walk parts of this earth awaits you on the Weka Walks. The Titirangi Reserve has 700 acres of native trees which have never been milled. No board walks, steps or hand rails here! Just follow the markers to enjoy what has been described as one of the best examples of North Island lowland forest.

Weka Walks

Weka Walks offers a total nature package combining walking experience, minimum two night's accommodation, home-cooked cuisine and warm Kiwi hospitality. The walks are over Mt Huia Farm and Glen Tui Farm and include areas of pastureland and native bush.

• Interesting variety of marked hiking trails offering a range of challenges and choices
• Remarkable views across hill country farm land to native forests, sheer sandstone cliffs, mountains and rivers
• Comprehensive written track guides provided, including flora identification sheets
• Set your own pace and time of departure
• Stay in Hodd Cottage and return to the comforts of your holiday home at the end of each day's walk
• Only day packs need to be carried
• Once at Mt Huia you are in a central position to access many of the tramps into the nearby Ruahine Ranges, should you wish to extend your stay and experiences

A few of the walks we recommend are:

Tui Walk – A full day hike over Glen Tui Farm and through the unspoiled beauty of the 700 acre Titirangi Reserve, described as one of the North Island's best representations of lowland forest vegetation. Mosses and lichens under a dense canopy of tall podocarp trees are a feature in this unspoiled stand of native bush.

Huia Walk – An easy half day loop track on Mt Huia Farm. Predominantly pastoral with many small stands of native trees. Shell rock so far inland is a fascinating geographical feature. Follow the farm tracks and walk the ridges of the hills to get panoramic views to the Ruahine Ranges and surrounds. The walk passes by two sets of sheep handling facilities where there is often farm work in progress and to be observed.

Rangiwahia Hut Walk – Half day tramp through red beech forest and tussock country to the most accessible area of the Ruahine Forest Park. Detour around a dramatic scree slip; cross the deep gorges on a solid foot bridge; rest by the fresh bubbling mountain streams; appreciate the natural flora and fauna. You can lunch at the hut before returning to the start point, which is the car park just 20 minutes drive from Mt Huia.

For further information about our Weka Walks or Manawatu accommodation, please contact us or visit our New Zealand farmstay Web site.

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