Why our guests love getting their hands dirty

When we took over St Leonards Vineyard Cottages in 2024 we planned to put in a series of gravel paths, so guests didn’t get their feet wet or dirty while walking around the grounds.

However, from talking to guests and observing their delight in getting back to nature, we realised that touching the earth and foliage and grass and myriad of other mucky aspects of our small farm were all part of the experience – and something to be celebrated and enhanced, not ‘fixed’. It’s turned out to be a feature not a fault.

A little like forest bathing or walking in the ocean, touching the earth and grass and literally getting wet and dirty is all part of getting back to nature, and really experiencing what we offer in our farm stay here at St Leonards Vineyard Cottages. For some guests who live rurally back home, it’s familiar, but for many of our guests it’s a whole new experience that becomes a favourite part of their holiday.

Similarly, touching and interacting with our sheep, deer, chickens, dogs and cat are a real highlight of many people’s stay. One UK guest sent so many videos of the sheep to her kids back home while she was staying here that they begged her to stop – she called the sheep “the highlight of her whole NZ trip”.

There's always something to maintain on the property, but being in the wilderness of the country is all part of the charm. We also look for ways to add more rustic charm, such as planning a programme of ‘dead hedges’ – one of which we’ve already created in the chicken run. A dead hedge is an organised pile of dead branches held together with stakes and continually topped up with new dead branches as it gradually biodegrades into the earth, adding nutrients. Not only is it a great environmentally-friendly way of dealing with downed branches, but creates a charming haven for birds and insects.