The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Agri-tourism: Visitors flock to farms and vineyards

The Country
27 Mar, 2017 05:30 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

One in five international visitors spent time at a vineyard or wine trail, according to a recent report. Photo/Supplied

One in five international visitors spent time at a vineyard or wine trail, according to a recent report. Photo/Supplied

Rural tourism is taking off as farmers find ways to combine New Zealand's two big export earners.

An ANZ AgriFocus report late last year on agri-tourism said over a quarter of the international tourists visiting New Zealand in 2015 visited a farm or orchard, and one in five visited a vineyard or wine trail. Chinese visitors in particular enjoyed going to a farm or orchard, with two thirds going to either or both.

The report said the influx of international tourists was an opportunity to showcase the broader food and beverage sector.

Both islands of New Zealand are dotted with enterprising rural tourism farm ventures enjoying New Zealand's time in the tourism sun. Trophy hunting, caving, rock climbing and mountain biking are some of many catering to tourists' needs, and providing a valuable boost to traditional pastoral farm incomes.

Colville farming couple Roy and Kaye Ward managed to expand the income from their Kairaumati Hereford stud farm by building a farm café business that has an emphasis upon locally sourced ingredients. For their "Hereford 'n a Pickle" café that comes right down to using the Ward's prime Hereford beef in their sausages, burgers and salamis.
Today the café generates income that almost exceeds the farm's, and can support the next generation of Wards on the remote Coromandel farm.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

On the opposite side of the coast north western Waikato farming couple Anne and Philip Woodward's underground caves proved an income bonus as business above ground on the farm got tougher. Today the couple in Waikaretu Valley capitalise on the property's beauty above and below ground, including a café and accommodation and function centre.

Bayleys national country manager Simon Anderson said the combination of potential tourism dollars and a farm's setting was an added bonus for farmers when they were considering selling their property, or wanting to tap into a growing opportunity.

"And those opportunities are making themselves seen in places that in the past may have been seen as off the traditional tourist routes. Farmers located along newly developed cycle trails in areas like Otago have found a ready market for tourists wanting to sample life on a New Zealand farm during their trip."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Tourism Export Council chief executive Lesley Immink said the council had businesses operating farm and rural stays, or specialising in agricultural tours, alongside high profile operations like the Agrodome and Walter Peak Station.

"And as world leaders in agricultural technologies and food production more inbound business are being asked by leisure, corporate and export sectors to include visits to appropriate universities, farms and companies."

Trophy hunting, caving, rock climbing and mountain biking are some of many new rural-based ventures catering to tourists' needs. Photo/Supplied
Trophy hunting, caving, rock climbing and mountain biking are some of many new rural-based ventures catering to tourists' needs. Photo/Supplied

She said word of mouth between travellers about New Zealand's high quality food meant many were wanted a "gate to plate" experience when they got here.

The ANZ report's authors found that with changes in how consumers purchase food and beverages, the ability to repeat purchase of local specialities and products once back home helped relive their holiday experience. For example a visit to a winery provides access to their email address on a mailing list, and a direct link for future purchases.

They pointed to opportunities for farmers and growers to partner up with top accommodation providers giving options for eco-type accommodation experiences that help ease emerging capacity constraints at key times of the year when established options in tourist hot spots are already limited.

Simon Anderson said: "Predictions are for tourist numbers to continue to climb over coming years. With increased pressure on the usual tourist attractions, we can see great potential for places that may have been less than well known in the past to expand as more tourists look to go off the beaten track. There are some exciting options opening up for farmers which they may have never considered before."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Watch: CCTV shows moment drug-driver caused tractor to crash into homes

The Country

Te Puke incident: Person airlifted after serious injury

The Country

Chris Hipkins ponders a grand coalition on The Country


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Watch: CCTV shows moment drug-driver caused tractor to crash into homes
The Country

Watch: CCTV shows moment drug-driver caused tractor to crash into homes

Families were left homeless after the crash in the northern English city of Chester.

17 Jul 03:49 AM
Te Puke incident: Person airlifted after serious injury
The Country

Te Puke incident: Person airlifted after serious injury

17 Jul 02:26 AM
Chris Hipkins ponders a grand coalition on The Country
The Country

Chris Hipkins ponders a grand coalition on The Country

17 Jul 01:45 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP