Strahan family diversify Manawatū farm with accommodation and All Blacks tribute

Manawatū farming family the Strahans have given their homestead a new purpose. Photo / Brad Hanson

The Strahan family are not just opening the doors of their grand old homestead, they are opening a chapter of rich farming history for others to enjoy. Romney Lane Homestead may be a brand new boutique offering in Manawatū, but it has been a part of the region’s strong farming traditions since the late 1800s.

A visit to Romney Lane Homestead is like stepping back in time.

The homestead can be found after a 20-minute jaunt up Feilding’s Kimbolton Rd and a left turn at the stoical Kiwitea Hall — head past the picturesque church and turn into the wide gates and even wider driveway of the homestead.

Visitors then pass the shearing shed and yards – which are very much a working part of the 442-hectare sheep and beef farm – before finally arriving at the grand old homestead.

The name “Romney Lane” was a colloquial term in the early days to describe the rural stretch of Kimbolton Rd, between Cheltenham and Kiwitea.

Also coined “Ram Alley”, the area was well known for its top-quality stock and famed for its fertile soil.

Romney sheep suited the area and were the crucial foundation of the farming operation.

The land has been owned and run by two generations of the Strahan family, with Ian and Steph Strahan, along with their three daughters, continuing the tradition today.

Ian’s father, Sam Strahan, a celebrated All Black, also called this farm home for much of his life.

In 2023 the Strahans decided they needed to diversify due to the changing and challenging farming landscape.

The family drew together and got to thinking.

Steph enjoyed hospitality and Ian loved to give people an insight into their life as farmers growing food with a great story behind it.

So the idea of boutique accommodation with room for families to enjoy was dreamt up.

The Strahans got to work, pulled together and spruced the old lady up, into a comfortable and stylish getaway destination with room for eight guests.

The homestead has good bones; built from native heart totara milled just down the road at Cheltenham.

Romney Lane Homestead in Kiwitea, Manawatū. Photo / Brad Hanson

The home’s walls echo a history dating back to 1877 when Manchester block was first opened up and the Perry family took on their 900-hectare plot.

The land would have looked very different back then, bush-covered wilds with no homestead in sight, just a one-room slab whare.

Over a century ago Alex and Maree Perry struck out and developed their farm, their Romney sheep flock, and a large family of nine, before Alex tragically died in 1894.

Maree courageously carried on and lived the rest of her life at the homestead, then after she died the block was divided into three.

Steph and Ian Strahan decided they needed to diversify their farming operation. Photo / Brad Hanson

This was when the Strahan name was added to the footprint of the land.

The family loved it, just as the late Sam Strahan, Ian’s father, did — and they have looked after it too.

Ian runs a free-range grazing system with a sustainable ethos and a sound knowledge of the environmental impact.

He has given special attention to soil conservation with a no-tillage policy. Freshwater quality is looked after with extensive fencing and planting (with the help of Kiwitea School pupils mucking in over the years).

Romney sheep suited the area and were the crucial foundation of the farming operation. Photo / Brad Hanson

The farm system is seasonal so guests see sheep in the winter and cattle in the summer with additional arable crops such as wheat, peas and fodder.

Guests can take a farm tour, adapted to their interests, to understand how the Strahans care for their land.

There’s a bonus for rugby fans too.

The pool room is a treasure trove of historic New Zealand rugby books, photos, framed pictures and even a cherished jersey all collected during Sam’s rugby career with the All Blacks from 1967 through to 1973, which included 45 games and 17 tests.

Although back then it wasn’t so much a career to be an All Black, but an unpaid passion.

Therefore Sam’s working life focused on his other love — farming.

A special space with a tribute to a rugby legend, the Strahans have given their homestead a brand new name and a grand new purpose.