Northland couple find the good life with goats

Helen Cairns of Good Life with one of her beloved goats. Photo / supplied

Searching for a good life has taken Helen Cairns and her partner Drew Wardle on a journey half a world away from their previous lifestyles in the north of England.
The couple, who live at Aranga, near Maunganui Bluff north of Dargaville, emigrated to New Zealand about 17 years ago.

Cairns' background is in horticulture, while Wardle is an engineer.

They now make a living from their goats on their lifestyle block and their Good Life boutique food shop in the main street of Dargaville which is modelled on a traditional general store.

Cairns makes goat's milk soap using all natural ingredients and the process starts with hand milking the 18 goats on their 0.8ha secluded block.

The does have all kidded recently, so there are currently 16 kids on the property as well. The herd is mostly Saanen with one Nubian-cross "with attitude".

Cairns shares the milk with the kids, as the prolific goats produce more than enough for both. Some produce more than 5 litres, she said.

"There is something very therapeutic about milking goats.

"If I've had a full-on day in the shop it pays to chill out a bit before starting the milking because the goats will sense straight away if I am uptight.

"I used to milk to music but found it was hard not to milk in time to the beat and if they didn't like a fast tempo they would remind me with a knee to the head.

"Now I have worked out that a nice audio book works best. I put my earphones in and it's quite nice to nestle into the goat's warm side.''

Cairns said they decided to abandon an initial foray into running heritage pig breeds as the prices for weaners were not sustainable and the pigs were tougher on the land.

"Also the neighbouring farmer was not too keen on the pigs if they got out but does tolerate better our goats which escape regularly and generally cause havoc in our secluded valley."

Goats are notoriously susceptible to cold and wet weather so there are lots of places on the property where they can find shelter.

Feet trimming is also a regular task, and an organic dust is used to keep lice at bay.

Two rescue dogs and four cats share the property. Helen says the kids are fascinated with the cats, but the admiration is not mutual and the cats tend to treat with disdain the "silly little creatures" that keep pestering them.

"The kids especially tend to cry out a lot. It's always slightly chaotic here," she said.

Goat's milk soap made by Helen Cairns of Good Life. Photo / Judy McKenzie

Cairns takes a break from milking for two or three months a year while the does are in kid, but the soap production continues from frozen product.

While a lot of milk is produced and people often ask about cheese or milk, she has not pursued this because of the extra regulations involved.

"We do drink it ourselves though. It's really good for you as it is naturally homogenised meaning the smaller fat globules are easier to digest."

She said the trick to enjoying goat's milk is to chill the milk immediately and drink it fast. "It's delicious."

Cairns enjoys the soap-making process and has collaborations with other local businesses for other ingredients.

One such arrangement is to use honey produced by Kaipara Nectar in a popular soap that also has fine oatmeal.

"Because I make small batches, I'm happy to experiment with different ingredients.

"I use the best grade of everything but believe in keeping packaging minimal with brown paper wrapping."

Popular soaps include titree oil and kawakawa; and lavender and lime.

"Soaps with lavender are still the biggest sellers and it's the one fragrance I hate."

Her mulled wine soap incorporates a blend of orange, cloves, ginger and cinnamon with a grapeseed extract for colour and is particularly popular at Christmas.

Another popular blend is manuka honey and kauri gum, which was done for the Dargaville Museum.

"The blend of the two ingredients makes the soap naturally anti-fungal and antibiotic."

Cairns is always experimenting and enjoys making skin care lotions, moisturisers, balms, shampoos and conditioners.

"About the only thing I haven't been able to master is toothpaste."