fbpx

On Track


Sian Noble-Campbell, Kirsten Evans and Mary Mickleson balance their roles on farm, motherhood, teaching and so much more with their ‘side hustle’ – sharing their beautiful Matahuru Valley with visitors. Sian provides an insight into their daily juggle.

In early 2021, we were considering farm diversification and its important role in the life of a sheep and beef farmer when, during a Beef and Lamb farm planning meeting, our neighbour Mary sparked the idea of collaborating to create a private walking track. The concept quickly took shape, and we asked Kirsten to join us in the project, as she had converted her homestead into a charming farmhouse Airbnb. We asked her to develop another walking track to complement ours, while also providing accommodation for visitors.

Life setting up a private walk

Soon after we decided to go ahead and create the walk, we realised we would need to learn lots of new skills. We didn’t have a budget for website creators, marketing consultants or administration. There were so many things to think about!

The walk was created knowing where our ‘best bits’ were, so mapping them into a walk looked easy – but in reality, it was a massive undertaking, with hours of deep thinking, track preparation, GPS coordinating, stile building, flag placement, etc.

We knew that food and comfort were as important as the walk itself and that we wanted everything to be as local and sustainable as possible. We trialled many menus, finally deciding that as sheep and beef farmers, we really wanted to have steak and lamb as the main ingredients for our dinner menu. We also wanted the best meat we could find which was a huge task, as finding local Waikato beef that was traceable meant we had to go to a butchery in Te Awamutu.

Life as a host

More stories you might like:
A garden checklist for the first signs of autumn

It is a busy day when you are on duty and we spend a lot of time in the kitchen! From cooking, baking and assembling the meals to doing all the dishes, we are lucky we have three of us to spread the load. We are then back and forth to the homestead delivering the food, and undertaking comprehensive safety briefings, which can take up to an hour depending on the amount of chat or questions! We essentially have two walks which are quite different, so we ensure everyone is well prepared and has all the relevant info and sustenance required to enjoy them. 

The best part

We love chatting to our guests, it is a real perk of the walk – to answer questions, explain farming practices and find out where our walkers are from and why they chose to come to us. We are constantly trying to make the walk better each season. Signage improves, rest stops are titivated, landmarks are added such as our yellow door, a pink chair and selfie frame. We love sharing our piece of paradise with the rest of the world.

Sian Noble-Campbell, Kirsten Evans and Mary Mickleson open their farm gates in the Matahuru Valley, Waikato to walkers from October to April each year. The walk is defined into two clear tracks – a full-day 12 km track and a half-day 8 km track. matahuruvalleywalk.co.nz

 

 

 

 

View by Publication

NZ Life and Leisure    NZ Life and Leisure
Send this to a friend