Mataia Homestead & Walks

26/09/2024

Come join us Sunday, 13th October, from 1 pm to 3 pm at Mataia Homestead for an Open Home and Devonshire Tea in support of Kaipara kiwi conservation.
For a $10 entry fee, you’ll have the chance to Learn all about:
- The kiwi living in your own backyard
- The remote trapping and baiting network that protects them
- Try your hand at using radio-tracking equipment
- See how we monitor and care for our local kiwi population
and take a leisurely stroll through the beautiful gardens and historic homestead while enjoying a delicious Devonshire Tea.
We look forward to seeing you there!

04/07/2024

So all it takes is a major infrastructure collapse to put Glorit on the map!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/first-up/audio/2018945522/glorit-never-heard-of-it from RNZ.

You've probably never heard of Glorit until Northland's power was cut off the other week - Leonard Powell went there to have a look around

13/01/2024

Last minute availability! Friday 19th January - Sunday 21st January due to a last-minute cancellation - super special rate of $1000 for two nights for up to 12 people. https://www.mataia.co.nz/contact to make a booking.

26/11/2023

The Mataia Walking track is finally open again! It’s a slightly shorter version this year as the HUGE slip is going to take time, diggers and quite a bit of $$ to repair (thanks Cyclone Gabrielle!) but this season’s 8km circular loop trail still takes you through the best parts of the track with coastal and canopy views of the mighty Kaipara Harbour. Bookings essential, visit our website or message for more information.

23/03/2023

Fancy a weekend away?! March & April are our most popular months and normally book out a year in advance but we've had a couple of last-minute cancellations and the following upcoming weekends have become available:
Friday 31 March - Sunday 2 April
Friday 14 April - Sunday 16 April

Price: $1200/weekend (2 nights) for up to 12 people. For more information or to make a booking click here: https://www.mataia.co.nz/contact

01/03/2023

Mataia Walk update: last week we had the chance to get out and start clearing and checking out the walking tracks properly and unfortunately it is worse than we expected out there. After 5 days of chainsaw work clearing trees off the trail (thanks Mum and Dad!) we discovered a massive slip has taken out a large section of the track and is completely impassable. With a lot more chainsaw work still to be done and the chance of the slip moving even more with further rainfall we will have to close the track for the rest of the season until it is safe to re-assess and determine whether it will be possible to clear the slip or if we will need to completely re-route the trail. At this point we are hoping to be able to re-open by 1st November, however a lot will depend on the weather and we all know how unpredictable that is! A big thanks for to everyone all your support and messages, it is so very much appreciated.

19/02/2023

Well this feels a bit like déjà vu! Cyclone Gabrielle really whacked us a good one. The Homestead stood firm and luckily there was hardly any damage to the grounds or gardens, but unfortunately the farm and sections of the Mataia Walk weren’t so lucky, especially out on the coastal tracks. With power restored yesterday we are looking forward to welcoming all our upcoming guests to the homestead but the walking track will be closed for at least the next month as our first priority will be getting the farm back up and running. Keep an eye on our instagram and pages for updates and track re-opening dates.

29/01/2023

Well that was a wet one!

Yesterdays weather event caused havoc around the region, however with only 100ml in the rain gauge at 6pm on Friday night we thought we’d escaped the worst. Unfortunately we didn’t factor in the 250mls plus received up in the in-land hills, all funnelling down into the Araparera river which boarders our farm. By 11pm the river was a mass carpet of water covering half of the valley and we found ourselves waist-deep swimming cattle off our flat country onto safe higher ground.

All stock are safe and accounted for but 250ha of our flat farmland is still under water and likely will be for the next week. However seeing images from friends and neighbours farms and the devastation to homes and properties in and around the region we feel like we got off lightly as many are now facing months or even years of repair work.

On a lighter note the frogs are loving their new habitat!

17/10/2022

Track clear up has begun! Our 12km circular Mataia Walk opens for the season on 1st November and after a wet and windy winter its finally dried out enough for some serious chainsaw action (pretty sure this is Shane’s favourite part)! Just a quick track mow next and we’ll be good to go. Bookings to do the walk can be made via our website (mataia.co.nz).

01/08/2022

Absolutely ❤️ when guests send me through pics. These ones from the gorgeous Natassia who got married in March this year and had her first look photos at the homestead. And how incredible is that dress!

30/06/2022

Last week we swapped our gumboots for our gladrags and together with Mum and Dad we headed off to the big smoke to attend the Auckland Region Ballance Farm Environment Awards. It was a great night and we were lucky enough to win 3 awards including the Ballance AGRI-Nutrient Soil Management Award, the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award and the Norwood AGRI-Business Management Award. But the best thing about the night was being in a roomful of other farmers and rural industries and businesses passionate about doing their bit to help protect and enhance the environment. It can sometimes feel a bit daunting being a farmer in the current climate, however I came away from the awards evening with a renewed sense of pride and optimism for the future of rural NZ. And it was pretty nice to see hubby in a suit instead of a swandri for once! Thanks to .nz

20/06/2022

We were lucky enough to host a group of gorgeous ladies at Mataia Homestead this weekend who, armed with sewing machines and knitting needles, spent two days getting stuck into projects for charity. What an amazing way to spend a winters weekend! And those colours 😍

03/06/2022

Farming; best job in the world on a beautiful winters day when the sky is blue, the sun is shining and the grass is green and lush. 30 seconds after I took this photo the wind turned cold and southerly, the heavens opened and we got completely drenched. Then hubby kindly reminded me that we still had 8 more paddocks to be subdivided with temporary electric fences for our winter grazing system, cattle to move, lambs to check and a fence to fix, and no I could not knock off for the day because my socks were wet. Seriously considered handing in my notice.

27/05/2022

It’s the start of planting season wahoo!! These little beauties are some of the 6500 native trees going in the ground this Sunday with thanks to an amazing team of volunteers organised by and funding from the fabulous . Over the next 3 months another 10,000 native trees will be planted on Mataia as part of our conservation vision, restoring riparian margins and wetlands and creating some amazing habitat for our resident native wildlife. Better go dust off my spade!

12/05/2022

Flashback Friday - because sometimes you need to remind yourself just how far you've come: 2015 to 2022 then & now ❤️

06/05/2022

Looking a little like we’re farming spiders instead of cattle on this crisp autumn morning!

03/05/2022

Farm life

29/04/2022

Can’t believe it’s that time of year already! Winter at the Homestead is all about lazy days with friends spent tucked up in front of this beauty, or rugging up warm and exploring the gardens. Our winter weekend dates are starting to book out now so get in touch if you feel the need for a winter escape coming up.