Just outside town, Wānaka Lavender Farm is 12 hectares of sheer delight. From late spring to autumn, pleasingly neat rows, both straight and curved, of purple flowers stretch off in all directions, with a backdrop of rocky mountains, under the great blue bowl of the sky.
In just 11 years, bare cow paddocks have now, thanks to the enthusiasm and effort of the Zeestraten brothers, been planted with tens of thousands of lavender bushes, attracting year-round visitors, both people and bees.
Planting different varieties means a long flowering season, and harvesting, some of it done by hand, happens from late January into March. Growing this soothing plant is a full-on business, from taking cuttings for new plants, to extracting the oils in an on-site still and turning them into a variety of products.
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Because, gorgeously scented and photogenic though it is, there’s so much more here than just lavender.
There’s a pretty, formally-laid out cottage garden bursting with lots of colourful flowering perennials, in front of a long stone building.
Inside you’ll find the shop selling all manner of lavender-scented goodies, from soap, oils and creams to tea, honey and even chocolate.
You can do a honey-tasting, or get properly stuck in at the tearoom with all sorts of deliciousness, naturally (in both senses) rich in lavender- and honey-infused flavours. There’s even a local artisan’s ice cream, similarly flavoured, to enjoy.
Back outside, there are neat green lawns where you can play petanque and giant versions of games including draughts and Connect 4, and paddocks where friendly farm animals are rarely far from the fences.
Alpacas, kunekune pigs, miniature ponies and donkeys, chickens, highland cattle and sheep live here, many of them rescues or retired, and all well used to visitors. Out in the lavender fields is the increasingly famous door-to-nowhere, beloved of Instagram fans.
Where there are millions of flowers, there will always be plenty of bees. But they are lavender-laid back, and rarely a nuisance. Have your coffee shot before you come – there’s none to be had here, because of its intrusive smell.
Basecamp Climbing Centre offers a range of exciting challenges, though it’s perhaps not recommended if you’re all fired up from watching a Tom Cruise movie at the cosy Ruby’s Boutique Cinema next door (though the Medical Centre is close by).
Puzzling World has lots of visual and mental challenges involving hands-on fun; and so too does the National Transport and Toy and Museum, which has something to fascinate everyone, from a rabbit riding a Honda to magnificent vintage cars.
And then of course there’s always that beautiful lake to enjoy, glorious in all seasons.
Closed on Christmas Day only, the Lavender Farm is open from 9am to 5pm most of the year. In summer the self-tour Farm Experience is $10 adult, $5 children (5-15 years), while in winter it’s $5 and $2. Book ahead if you’re planning a photo shoot.
Whenever you’re needing some visual and olfactory delight.
See: wanakalavenderfarm.com
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