MacKenzie Country

Our abode deep in the country, all off grid, so amazing!

We made it to Mackenzie country, this place about 1/2 an hour from Timaru.  One of Luca’s chores there was feeding the orphaned lambs, he was pretty happy about it!  🙂 The property amazing, very Kiwi, even the beds made up in the traditional Kiwi way ,(lots of wool blankets an flannel sheets), made me feel all nostalgic and like a kid again as we snuggled into bed at night.

The views from the property incredible, such iconic kiwi landscape , lots of sheep! 🙂


Glennys our host invited us for supper one night.  She made an incredible lamb roast with all the extras and a berry pie (all made in their wood stove!).  All food sourced from the property.  It was our best meal since arriving in NZ, felt really like I was home.  They also gave us a ton of eggs, including pheasant ones.  These were sourced from a neighbor who breeds them for game hunting.  Here is Rich making us up breakfast..

Delicious!!!!!

We had a some rain there and used it as an excuse for a down day, was really lovely actually just to chill and not go anywhere…

Both of them LOVE puzzles!  🙂

We spent time In Timaru, which is on the east coast and really enjoyed it there.  The town is so pretty and they have really done up the beach area and parks. 

Downtown Timaru


We reluctantly packed up again after 4 nights and headed down the coast.  It seems everywhere we have been, we find lovely people and places and it is difficult to leave  🙂  We did see Wallabies, dead, and live ones.  They are hunted a lot, as such a nuisance to the farmers, so pretty shy, but here is one I managed to capture, if you look very closely…..

Driving down from the farm as we left, we ran into this herd of cattle, a nice way to leave the high country….

We headed down to Oamaru for lunch and found another town that has undergone an amazing upgrade yet still holding firmly onto its traditional architecture and roots.

Downtown Oamaru
The museum, not your traditional one, a pretty cool place!
Such a pretty harbour, that they have really transformed, with an amazing playground to the right….

We then hit the road again and traveled onward to our destination, Dunedin.  Arriving at our stone cottage late afternoon.  This is a working sheep farm, built in the traditional Scottish manner with the house and barn all connected and a courtyard in the middle.  Luca has got to feed the lambs, the chooks and hang out with the owners son who is showing him around the farm. 

Our place…
The courtyard
View from our lounge 
View of the entire building from the road….

We have hit the beaches here, loving the wildness of them and the animals we have found

Enjoying the sun, so close you could touch, we didn’t of course !  🙂


Right next to the path we walked, Mama bird unconcerned.  Everything is protected here so the animals just don’t see humans as a threat at all.

We are fast heading to Christmas, we spend another 2 nights here in Dunedin, then head back up the coast via Geraldine for a couple of nights, then to Christchurch where we are spending 9 nights, then it is decision time, watch this space….

Just to prove I am actually here  🙂 
Luca seems to like it here a lot  🙂