Benlea Farm

Benlea Farm Cattle and sheep farm in the Rakaia Gorge, Canterbury, New Zealand and farming in a regenerative style.

Visit our website to book a real farm tour or accommodation in Benlea Cottage. Benlea is our working farm, situated in the Rakaia Gorge and surrounded by the foothills and mountains in Canterbury, New Zealand. The farm runs alongside the Rakaia River ranging from 300m at the river to 900m altitude at the top of the Snowy Peak block. The farm is 1100 Ha in area on which we farm sheep, and beef catt

le and grow crops such as barley, wheat or clover. We are also involved in tourism with accommodation at Benlea Cottage situated on the farm and run on a holiday house basis, and farm and garden tours. The aim of the website is to offer an insight into day to day farming in our region.

We have added a whole new section on our website featuring merchandise with images and logos from the farm. Designed for...
09/08/2025

We have added a whole new section on our website featuring merchandise with images and logos from the farm. Designed for people visiting Benlea to head out on a farm tour or staying at Benlea Cottage, or for people just wanting to support regenerative farming or farming in NZ in general, there is something for everyone

Head to the page on our website
https://benlea.co.nz/merchandise/
Or go straight to the Benlea Farm section on our Etsy shop
https://countryyardnz.etsy.com?section_id=54909364

We hope you enjoy them!

Big things are coming to the High Country!Check out this epic RockRidge giveaway valued at $1790 as they gear up for the...
27/05/2025

Big things are coming to the High Country!
Check out this epic RockRidge giveaway valued at $1790 as they gear up for their grand opening in 2026 — you won’t want to miss it.
www.rockridge.nz

Getting ready for the Coalgate calf sale the other day. Calves are selling well at the moment.
24/04/2025

Getting ready for the Coalgate calf sale the other day. Calves are selling well at the moment.

Shifting ewes on the hill in the fog.
09/04/2025

Shifting ewes on the hill in the fog.

Back to Summer shearing. Old ewes done, onto main mob now, and finishing off with ewe lambs. Shed holds 2000 woolly ewes...
22/03/2025

Back to Summer shearing. Old ewes done, onto main mob now, and finishing off with ewe lambs. Shed holds 2000 woolly ewes so helps keep the shearing flowing and is a great safety measure if the weather turns cold soon after the ewes are shorn.

Bit of snow today. Still snowing but a fair bit of melting going on. Wasn't predicted at our altitude until well after i...
25/10/2024

Bit of snow today. Still snowing but a fair bit of melting going on. Wasn't predicted at our altitude until well after it started. Bit frustrating!

Filling the grain bin for the ewes under Cole's watchful eye. Have used a bit this year with the lower covers going into...
18/08/2024

Filling the grain bin for the ewes under Cole's watchful eye. Have used a bit this year with the lower covers going into Winter. Felt like Spring a bit on Friday but not so much today.

Out on the hill block yesterday checking how the snow was clearing. The cows are heading back out here after a few weeks...
06/08/2024

Out on the hill block yesterday checking how the snow was clearing. The cows are heading back out here after a few weeks down near the river. Third photo they are heading through past the Benlea yards on route to the hill. A ewes now back out on the hill as well.

The B ewes about to head onto the last break on this paddock yesterday. A multi-species pasture sown earlier this year a...
06/08/2024

The B ewes about to head onto the last break on this paddock yesterday. A multi-species pasture sown earlier this year and grazed by lambs several times already. We have had a pretty good clearance down here near the river.

Ewe hoggets drafted and heading off to grazing as is standard practice for us at this time of year to ease things up rea...
01/08/2024

Ewe hoggets drafted and heading off to grazing as is standard practice for us at this time of year to ease things up ready for lambing.

Some more photos this morning. Out before 5am this morning, hoggets out of shed and onto a paddock for a feed. Electric ...
30/07/2024

Some more photos this morning. Out before 5am this morning, hoggets out of shed and onto a paddock for a feed. Electric fences to come down so big mob of B ewes can spread out for a good feed. They were having no trouble nosing the snow aside. Bit heavier on the track up to the hill block - around 12 cm. Not lambing for about 5 weeks yet but this very early girl is doing a great job with her three!

A few shots from around the farm this afternoon. Hoggets recently off shears are in the shed for the night. B ewe mob ma...
30/07/2024

A few shots from around the farm this afternoon. Hoggets recently off shears are in the shed for the night. B ewe mob managed to score some extra feed with snow affecting the electric fence wires so off into a different paddock. They are looking to see if we have grain on board - love their barley! Definitely cold wind out there but not too much snow - pleased to have good shelter.

Address

728 Coleridge Road
Windwhistle
7572

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9pm - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+64274319079

Website

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Benlea Farm - an insight into our farming operation.

Benlea is a family run, working sheep and beef farm, situated in the beautiful Rakaia Gorge surrounded by the foothills and mountains, in Canterbury, New Zealand. The farm runs alongside the Rakaia River ranging from 300m at the river to 900m altitude at the top of the Snowy Peak block. The farm is 1100Ha in area on which we farm sheep, and beef cattle and grow crops such as barley, wheat or clover.

We are also involved in tourism where you can stay on the farm at Benlea Cottage for a taste of quiet country life, or better yet come with us on a Sheep and Cattle Farm Tour for a private, inside look into how a farm in New Zealand works and the way we raise our animals.

If gardening is your thing, we have that too with a gorgeous 1 acre homestead garden full of many types of native and exotic species. Tours of this are also available as well as extensive gardening information on our Country Garden page.

This page is for anyone who loves farming, who wants to improve their education of what happens on a farm, but also for us to be able to share a piece of our life with you.