Welcome to Rock Ridge Farm, Rock Ridge Crafts and much more.

Welcome to Rock Ridge Farm based in picturesque Little Sydney Valley, 10 minutes from Motueka and from Kaiteriteri Beach. After 14 years of planning, determination, hard work and wonderful adventures my dream of farm ownership came true in 2006.

In the first week I joined the New Zealand Tree Crops Association and the Alpaca Association of New Zealand. I needed to register a farm name and looking around spotted animals perched on the rocks on our ridge.

Having helped my friend for many years with lambing and moving stock she presented me with my first Romney sheep and lambs, and then as my interest in coloured wool grew she sorted out her unwanted coloured lambs and my breeding flock came into being.

Alpacas then started arriving – first 2 wethers, then 2 young females, then an experienced and pregnant mother and we started mating 2 females a year with selected males choosing to breed the true black colour line.

The Nelson Tree Crops group meets monthly on each others properties. A visit to a Hazelnut property and my goal was born to develop a nut business. A year of research led us to planting hazelnuts, almonds and macadamias. Friends offered run down orchards to harvest, process and I sold via the Farmers Market and Nelson Saturday market for 4 years, learning to value add and compliance, staffing and how to maintain and improve their groves.

The wool and alpaca fleeces were put to use and products added to my sales tent at the markets, with friends helping to keep up with demand. The dream to teach people to use the fibre along with a large shearing shed being converted made the craft school a reality in 2017. Classes are held during holidays, weekends and weekdays by arrangement, including special events, birthday parties and school visits.

Having sent my yarn away to processors for many years my desire to have a crack at this came into being in 2018 when I was able to acquire some machinery to card, gill and spin fleece into yarn. This is still a major learning curve requiring some mastery not yet acquired but progressing.

The farm came with bird cages and these are being put to good use for a cattery. So cats are welcome to have a holiday here while you go away for yours.

The farm is open to farm visits by appointment and farm stays are welcome.