Reviews

  Amazing afternoon seeing lots of animals up close but also learning about the economics of ranching in New Zealand. Views across Cook Straight to the South Island are unbelievable. The... read more ride out to the cabin is full of amazing scenery with huge hills, pastures, and blue sky. A true experience! Highly recommend this for all ages.

  An incredible experience - highly recommend! - Our farm tour was a birthday gift from my daughter for her Godmother and me, and, honestly, we didn’t know what to expect. A farm tour? ... read more However, it was a fun, interesting, relaxing, educational, all around amazing experience.

Imagine some of the most awe inspiring scenery in the world, now throw in more sheep than one could possibly count. Then, add some sheep who for various reasons were hand raised, including the fabulous Mr Bumpy, with whom you may interact. On top to that, there are horses, eels in a creek, and Ward, who will completely and patiently answer all your questions. Did I mention the fabulous muffins his wife Alex made for our tea break?

This is a working, family farm surprisingly close to Wellington. It is a refreshing and enjoyable half-day. We were skeptical but let me say, if Ward and Alex charged people taking the tour by the number of times they said “Wow!”, well, they’d be zillionaires.

  Since there is so much sheep farming in New Zealand, this tour gave us a great opportunity to visit a real sheep farm, learn about how it is run and... read more get all our questions answered. Ward is a very genuine person and gave us a very knowledgeable tour of his farm. His love of his animals and way of life is obvious. He has over 2000 sheep, fifty plus cattle, some rescued wild horses and native eels in the stream. He knows a lot about farming and how everything is intertwined. During the tour, we got to feed a couple of the wild horses carrots and the sheep he has raised by hand some ginger nut cookies. He also serves you delicious homemade muffins, tea or coffee and some cheese and crackers during the tour. It was a splendid afternoon and we highly recommend it.

  Ward gave us such a great tour of his beautiful farm! The sheep or adorable and it was really fun getting up close & personal with them! The horses were... read more breathtakingly beautiful and the story of how they were rescued so heart touching! Having a wonderful chat with Ward and seeing the country in all it's Beauty made me feel that I really got to experience the heart of this amazing country!
Also go to enjoy delicious homemade my friends and coffee at the cabin overlooking the best view of the ocean a colour is were just amazing when we were there!
It's unbelievable how close to the city it is as it feels like you're miles away.

  Must-Do in Wellington! - This was an exceptional experience that we highly recommend. Not only do you have the opportunity to explore the breathtaking landscapes of the region, but you also get to learn... read more about the important role of farming in NZ, sustainable farming practices, wind-powered energy, and the animals that call Tussock Ridge home. Ward is a wealth of information and extremely charismatic, and it was amazing to being able to get the tour from the expert who runs the farm. His passion and love for the farm is evident at every turn, both in how he talks about the land and as you see it for yourself, and makes this tour unforgettably special. This was the highlight of our time in Wellington, and we encourage other visitors to go on this must-do tour!

  We're all about supporting small businesses so we googled tours in Wellington, North Island NZ and found Tussock Ridge Farm Tours. What an amazing experience we were given by Ward... read more Kellahan who owns this farm in the Ohariu Valley. We drove past the oldest church dating back to 1870 and was built by the first English settlers and their graves are still there.

He has 1000 acres; 1000 sheep; 60 Angus cows; 12 wild Kaimanawa horses; 7 eels (one called Big Bertie as they can live up to 120 years old!); 26 wind turbines; pet sheep who live by his by hideaway cabin - one ram called Mr Bumpy who thinks he's a dog; 2 sheepdogs called Tess and Scout and a chocolate lab called Juno! Ward picked us up in his 4x4 and drove us to his farm. We were given a private guided tour of a fraction of his land. Learnt about wind turbines. Fed his pet sheep with Ginger Nuts (because they love them ). Fed his wild horses with carrots and fed his eels, who are nocturnal but soon came out of the reeds when they smelt the luncheon meat! Another nice touch was the homemade blueberry muffins his wife Alex made for us to eat at The Cabin which has truly amazing views of the Cook Strait and the South Island. What a great day x

  This tour is a must do if you are in the Wellington area. Ward and Alex are amazing tour guides. We enjoyed learning about the forest project, the... read more wind farm, the sheep and the cows. Visiting the rustic cabin that overlooks the Tasman Sea, the Cooke Strait, and the Pacific Ocean was amazing. Seeing the eels, and the wild horses that Ward took in, was also very enjoyable. Since we are farmers from Alberta, Canada, we enjoyed the opportunity to "shop talk" farming and the challenges New Zealand farmers have are very similar to ours. Such a fantastic opportunity. Definitely a highlight of our trip.

  What an amazing tour! This is not a typical tourist excursion - this is a personal tour from Ward, the owner of the farm. Ward and his son... read more picked us up at our hotel and he shared stories about his family on the way up to the farm, a short drive from central Wellington. The farm itself is on a stunning piece of property on the southwest coast of the North Island. We fed wild horses, the family pet sheep and some eels, and we learned about sheep farming from Ward while we ate delicious muffins baked by Ward's wife Alex. This is a farm tour that should not be missed!

  We had such a great time! Ward was an excellent host and a lovely man, full of interesting stories about the land and the animals. His wife, Alexandra, especially made... read more gluten-free muffins for us and they were the best muffins I’ve ever tasted! The tour was fun and interesting, the views spectacular and the pace delightfully unhurried. Highly recommended.