The Humans

2009-01-24T04:11:10Z

THE GIRLS

It just didn't feel right placing the girls under the ANIMAL category - so here they are as HUMANS (which they are). Life couldn't get much better and I am sure if we were honest we would love to swap places with them sometimes.


Lilly, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Devon’s baby, A serious bed dweller. a respectable pastime for a girlof her age.	Demi - our loveable Hunterway-border collie cross farm dog. Intelligent, energetic, great watchdog.and loves all creatures great or small.	Tonka, Nanna’s baby, alot more energetic than the similar aged Lilly, but also loves the bed.

OUR TURN There are 6 of us spanning 3 generations, with an age range of 18 to 81 years. We have a more "old-fashioned approach " to our lives together. Following the sharing of the preparation and cooking of our meals, we dine together and bring to the table what our days have been like. As a family we pool our resources and combined, we have a wealth of experience in a variety of fields. As a small working farm the list never shortens and the priorities requiring attention change with the seasons and even daily as often it is the weather that is our dictator.

OUR TURN

There are 6 of us spanning 3 generations, with an age range of 18 to 81 years. We have a more "old-fashioned approach " to our lives together. Following the sharing of the preparation and cooking of our meals, we dine together and bring to the table what our days have been like.

As a family we pool our resources and combined, we have a wealth of experience in a variety of fields. As a small working farm the list never shortens and the priorities requiring attention change with the seasons and even daily as often it is the weather that is our dictator.

Nanna and Poppa

At this point our head gardener and patriarch Graham (Poppa) and chief adviser and matriach, Patricia (Nanna) need introducing. At 81 years of age Dad (Graham) finally is transferring his focus from a life time of running a business and now reveling in his passion of gardening and the physical activity required to achieve those earthy goals. Nanna keeps a watchful eye on things. She loves her flowers and their pottage is quite a piece of art.

The garden

It has long been a goal to achieve a certain standard of self-sufficiency. The latest project has seen our energies directed into creating a very large garden. It is rapidly starting to provide us with the fruits of some serious hard work from the development and fencing of the areas, to the planting of a widening variety of vegetables, herbs etc.

There is nothing quite so satisfying as wondering around the garden and picking whatever naturally grown delight is on offer. We wish to share this with our guests too and experience that organically grown freshness. The farm animals provide invaluable manure for our fertilising needs- I'm not sure I really needed to say that.

Chartrece (Trece),

our 18 year old , busy with many activities as well as completing her final year in school, iis our up and coming gardening enthusiast - I am not sure who teaches who now, when it comes to the garden. Feeding the cattle is a daily exercise in the winter and summer drought time.The silage bales are brought in from another farm and provide necessary supplementary feed to the grass in the paddocks.

Gary

is a builder and of course built Waterfall Lodge. On a farm it is necessary to put your hand to many and varied tasks, whether chainsawing firewood and clearing scrub, fencing, tractor work, repairing and maintaining, the list goes on and never is completed.

Gillian,

my sister, is a full-time phlebotomist (takes blood). When available Gillian helps out with the varying farm jobs, she does enjoy using machinery as you can see opposite. Here, a post hole borer is put to the test for fencing preparations.

Devon,

myself, a professional designer (interior and some architectual) for the majority of my self-employed career, so of course designed and was hands on for the build and finishes for Waterfall Lodge.

I am your contact person/host for accommodation and thoroughly enjoy all this entails, from the website work, to the meeting and the making of friends with the many wonderful guests that have stayed here from all over the world. Combining my responsibilities of managing the accommodation, the farm and animals and being hands on, with all that happens here, life never offers a dull moment.

One of my greatest joys is when our guests depart Wainui Country Retreat fulfilled and content, with their expectations met and hopefully exceeded, whatever the purpose of their stay. We truly look forward to meeting you.