Queenstown’s Royalburn Station is opening to the public for the first time this summer, to benefit three local charities.
The Crown Terrace regenerative alpine farm is owned by cook, dietitian and TV personality Nadia Lim and her husband, fifth-generation farmer and recent winner of the Nuffield Scholarship, Carlos Bagrie — last year, their highs, and lows, on the farm were documented on Three’s Nadia’s Farm series.
Three limited-capacity tours are running on January 18, February 5 and March 3 — all proceeds are going to Garden to Table, KiwiHarvest and Baskets of Blessing.
Lim says the charity farm tours is a chance for the couple to share their spectacular farm, and give back.
‘‘We’ve called Royalburn Station home for five years now and we couldn’t be happier living in this part of the world — we’ve had incredible support from the local community,’’ she says.
‘‘We’re now at a point where we can share what we’ve been working on and help connect people with how their food is grown.’’
She notes the station is one of New Zealand’s oldest farms and it’s fascinating to wander around and see relics dating back to the 1880s, along with the animals.
One of the most innovative and diverse farms in the country, Royalburn’s a large-scale farm-to-plate operation that grows enough food to feed thousands of people, from award-winning fine lamb, pasture-raised eggs, ‘Swifty’ beer and honey, to spray-free veges, oils, grains and seeds.
The focus is on ethical and sustainable food production, harnessing regenerative farming practices and zero-waste circular systems to protect the land and help the animals thrive.
The farm tours will be guided by either Lim, Bagrie or one of the Royalburn team, and will explore several areas of the 485-hectare farm, such as the 130-year-old woolshed, the thousands of chooks in their high-tech ‘Chicken Palaces’, the barley fields producing Royalburn’s just-released ‘Swifty’ beer, and the expansive organic market garden.
A light morning team, prepared by Lim and showcasing Royalburn produce, will then be served at the station’s wedding and events venue.
‘‘One of the perks of the job is being able to show people how their food is grown and how it gets from the farm to their plate,’’ Bagrie says.
‘‘These tours will enable us to do that first-hand, and we hope it’s an experience that people will not only enjoy, but learn something from.’’
Tickets, available from royalburn.co.nz, cost $95 per adult and $45 per child under 12, and include transport to and from Arrowtown’s Royalburn Farm Shop — pick-up’s 9am and drop-off’s 12.15pm on all three dates.
Lim: ‘‘One hundred per cent of the ticket sales will go directly to Garden to Table, KiwiHarvest and Basket of Blessings, who are doing awesome work with sharing food, nurturing the environment and minimising waste — values that are super-important to us.’’
KiwiHarvest’s early Christmas present
They’ve done it.
Just four months after Mountain Scene revealed Queenstown food rescue charity KiwiHarvest was on borrowed time, they’ve just moved into their new, temporary depot, behind Frankton’s Five Mile shopping centre.
And thanks to a herculean effort from the community and funding bodies, they’ve raised about $250,000, ensuring the wolves will be kept from their doors for at least the next nine months.
KiwiHarvest Queenstown branch manager Gary Hough said the response to the charity’s plight’s been ‘‘absolutely mind-blowing’’.
He’s particularly indebted to Impact100 Wakatipu, through which the charity was given a $100,000 grant to replace their aged food truck, ‘Lilly’, and a $111,775 grant from Central Lakes Trust, along with a host of local tradies who donated their time and services to get the temporary site, home to four new containers, two of which are storing dry food, up to scratch at rapid speed.
‘‘It’s brilliant,’’ Hough says.
‘‘We’re just super thankful to everyone that made it all happen.’’
He’s now investigating different funding avenues, including potential business partnerships, to shore up long-term support.
