Farm Stays

Farm stay accommodation across New Zealand puts you out on working farmland, from a quiet cottage in a paddock to a room in the farmhouse.

They suit families whose children want to meet the animals, and travellers who want a few days on land that is worked rather than looked at. Hosts usually live on the farm, so you pick up the sort of local knowledge that is not online: which beach is worth the drive, when the river runs clear.

Expect paddocks instead of neighbours, dark skies at night and space to run off a day in the car. Some farm stays are cottages or baches with their own kitchen and bathroom, others a bedroom in the main house, so it pays to read what each one includes.