Struan Farm

Creativity Fostered & Flourishing in Piopio

This year the Project Piopio Trust conducted a children's art competition in conjunction with the Aria Toy Library. The original idea behind this was to come up with artwork illustrating our rural life, and to foster creativity and talent within the younger members of the community.  Winning entries would be displayed on the Toy Library's exterior wall in Piopio.

Three local artists worked with children from pre-school up to Year 6 in a number of sessions. A total of 85 entries were received. The quality of submissions was deemed to be so high that an additional number of paintings were reproduced and are now hung on two other buildings. The remainder have been printed onto banners for display at the schools, with prizes and certificates awarded to all entrants.

The artwork has just been hung on the buildings in the past week, and looks fantastic, below is a sample. So take a break in Piopio and see all this firsthand!

 

Blue Now Too

We're blue now, but not unhappy about it in the least! The blueberries have also landed at Piopio Berry Orchard, so we've got a fantastic seasonal mix of strawberries, raspberries AND blueberries happening. A veritable berry trifecta.

 

You can't see me, but I'm doing my happy dance (probably just as well on that one!).

More Berries!

Good news, Piopio Berry Orchard is now growing summer raspberries as well as their autumn varieties. And those have just landed, hooray! So we are now enjoying both strawberries and raspberries. Word is the blueberries aren't too far away either.

I feel a Nigella Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova coming on!

Berry Time!

Good news, Piopio Berry Orchard is now open, and fresh strawberries have just become available this week!

Check out the link above to their new website, and regular updates are also available on their Facebook page. Yes, a happy time of the year!

Road Trip from Piopio

John and I went over to Ohope Beach on the East Coast over the long holiday weekend to attend an important birthday celebration for a friend. She'd invited us literally six months ago, so there was no weasling out of it as we are wont to do, since it's hard to leave Struan Farm on weekends!

We decided to travel via nearby Benneydale and stop by Pureora Forest Park and the Timber Trail cycleway. This could be a destination for some of our farmstay visitors, easily. Enroute to Benneydale, we turned off SH4 at Kopaki Road, and drove up Mapara Road South to the Mapara Wildlife Reserve, where the endangered kokako (my favorite NZ native bird) have been reintroduced. Somewhat frustratingly, there is no road sign for Kopaki Road, Benneydale, or the Mapara Wildlife Reserve. I will get onto this! Pureora Forest Park and the Timber Trail are well marked off SH30/Kopaki Road, so no issues with that once you get onto that road, but it might be a challenge finding it in the first place...

 

   

There is also an amazing "Totara Walk" here, a short, easy track into beautiful bush with tall native trees. We were pretty much blown away by the size of the trees, so this is worth a visit.

We've had farmstay guests try to find the kokako reserve in the past without luck, so now know how to tell them to find it. 

Piopio Calf Club Day 2015

I was able to spend a few hours at Piopio School's annual Calf Club Day last week. Unfortunately didn't have time to make the rounds of the baking, crafts, or flowers, but did spend time watching and photographing the kids with their pet lambs and calves, also some kid goats (and one cat!). It's a fantastic day, pretty much total chaos at certain moments, but great fun. 

It's one of those special events at which you can't stop smiling!

Piopio's Replica Schoolbus Project

Did you know that Piopio was the first school and community in all of New Zealand to have a school bus service?

I discovered this for the first time myself exploring the online archives at the National Library, where I came across the following photo, now framed and on the wall in the Cottage at Struan Farm. It was meant to have been taken somewhere in Paemako, not far from where we are.

   

Recently the Piopio College Trust initiated the "1924 School Bus Project," the objective of which is to build a roadworthy replica of the first school bus that ran to Piopio District High School in 1924. A 1921 Model T truck has been acquired, upon which a passenger compartment will be constructed. Once completed, the bus will be housed in a secure display in Piopio, to be liberated onto the road to carry passengers on special occasions.

The NZ Ministry of Eduction has contributed to the fundraising efforts by making an initial donation, but private fundraising efforts continue to obtain sufficient funds for the costs of the vehicle purchase, construction, garage, etc.

If you'd like to contribute to this fantastic local cause, please contact the Piopio College Trust (or me and I will get details for you).

The Road to Recovery

I had my first outing a few days ago. I was getting a bit of cabin fever, so accompanied John on a run to the local Piopio dump, then we went for coffee at The Fat Pigeon Cafe and for berries at Piopio Berry Orchard.

Afterwards he decided we should go exploring some surrounds, so after heading down one side road near the Berry Orchard we went off towards Aria, a rural settlement not far away. There is an abandoned church on a hillside there I've wanted to photograph for some time.

For some reason we encountered quite a number of friendly free range pigs willing to pose for me along the way. John was a bit nervous about the last hairy guy, he reckoned he was a domesticated wild pig and didn't want me getting too close.

John and I rarely if ever take time to wander the local countryside. There is so much beauty on our doorstep, we just need to take the time out to see it.

Weekend Flowers

It was a busy weekend in Piopio because of the annual WOMAD world music festival in nearby New Plymouth. Struan Farm's farmstay was no exception, we had people staying with us enroute south to New Plymouth, and then on the way home. We're 1 1/2hours from New Plymouth, after quite a stretch of windy, scenic road.

I pretty much dropped the ball on flowers for our table this weekend as a result, but here are the guests' flowers: 

It's a transitional time in the gardens. Roses are pretty much done, except for orange "Frilly Jilly," so I'm working with dahlias, daisies, hydrangea, and the last of the sweet peas, filling in with other "bits and pieces."

 

Piopio's Pink Post Office

The old post office building in Piopio, right along the main street in our little village, has recently undergone a much needed restoration and facelift thanks to new owners.

It was built circa 1910, and at one time operated as the town's post office, telephone exchange, and bank. Actual operators manned the telephone exchange, connecting the various party lines (Struan Farm was "seven line") and placing long distance calls.

The building has beautiful native timber floors, great bones, and a huge walnut tree in the backyard. So it's great to see it reincarnated as "The Old Piopio Post Office Gallery."

The Gallery offers an interesting mix of original art, hand crafted jewelry, collectibles and pottery, something for everyone. It's a great addition to the village and definitely worth a visit!

p.s. I might have called it "The Pink Post Office" for the fun factor alone....

Autumn Raspberries

This is one of those good news, bad news stories. The good news is that beautiful autumn raspberries are now available at Piopio Berry Orchard.

There is a very short window of time when strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are all available at Piopio Berry Orchard, and this would be it. But the days for strawberries and blueberries this season are numbered. The bad news is that summer is on the wane, autumn is rapidly approaching.

But if that's the bad news, we're actually okay, aren't we?

Happy 21st, Piopio Berry Orchard!

Piopio Berry Orchard is celebrating its 21st year. Thought a cake would be appropriate to commemorate this major milestone, so we commissioned one from John's colleague Barbara Ware in Dargaville, cake decorator extraordinaire and Piopio berry afficionado. We delivered it to our friends at the Orchard yesterday, and think it was a hit. 

 

Happy Birthday Piopio Berry Orchard, enjoy! And Barbara, a beautiful job....

Random Piopio Pancake

We have a family tradition of pancake breakfasts at Struan Farm on Sundays when the kids and their kids visit. John cracks out "Uncle Earl's Secret Pancake Recipe," and with help from a sous chef or two delivers delicious pancakes with real maple syrup, lots of butter for several serious butter fiends in the group <ahem, Livvy and John>, and fresh berries in season. After I have my coffee I hover in the background trying to keep everyone and -thing on the rails. Sometimes I add value.

This past weekend we had a pancake turn out in the shape of a Piopio, the extinct native thrush after which our village is named:

Pretty cool, eh? And of course we had to have it nibbling on some Piopio Berry Orchard blueberries!

Supporting Local

We're doing our darndest to support as many other local businesses as we can here at Struan Farm farmstay/bed & breakfast. I can't do a "Top Ten" just yet, but I can get to nine, and that's not counting tradesmen or contractors of which we are still seeing a fair few.

Right now we're buying Piopio Berry Orchard strawberries for our guests' breakfasts, counting the days til the blueberries and raspberries are available too. (While I love all berries, must confess the blueberries are my favs.) My homemade blueberry and strawberry jams are also made from their delicious fruit.

We're also offering Piopio Gold Fresh Free Range Eggs as part of our breakfast provisions. I buy these at The Oily Rag, our local petrol station, which is also the Intercity Bus stop.

Guests are supplied with Waitomo Limestone Soaps. (The cute little galvanized tray I'm using as a soap dish is from Oops.A.Daisy in Te Kuiti, but I'm not counting that.)

We're encouraging guests looking for lunch and dinner options in the area to visit our award winning local cafe The Fat Pigeon and its new(ish) sister restaurant, The Night Owl.

We've got Piopio tea towels in the kitchens for use, tempting guests to call into The Crafty Pigeon to stock up on gifts, Piopio themed or otherwise.

And of course we rabbit on about how no visit to Piopio would be complete without a visit to Hairy Feet Waitomo, The Hobbit film location and generally spectular setting! And if they're keen to experience a llama trek, we'll send them over to Sandy and Bob at Greenmount Llamas.

Hmm, maybe I can get to ten if I count Melanie (serial entrepreneur behind The Fat Pigeon, Night Owl, and Crafty Pigeon empire) yet again as a caterer for special events in the Homestead gardens and corporate offsites? Would that be cheating?

Let the Berry Season Begin!

Piopio Berry Orchard opened for the season Labour Weekend this year, offering fresh local asparagus, coffee, ice creams and smoothies. When the strawberries (and blueberries) are actually going to be ripe and ready for sale is a different matter entirely. Certain years the berries are ripe by Labour Weekend, but in other years they are not. And 2014 was a "not" year. Berries march to the whims of Mother Nature.

So on Thursday afternoon I was excited to see a Facebook posting from Piopio Berry Orchard, alerting customers that the strawberries were in. Nothing else to do but down tools, get in the car and go get some!

It was hard, but I did wait to get home to try one! And yet another reason to "Like" Piopio Berry Orchard on Facebook.

p.s. We're hearing via the grapevine that someone out there is selling "Piopio" strawberries that aren't THE REAL Piopio strawberries. Capitalising on Mike and Angela Roy's hard work and delicious fruit. Word is, if you don't see this specific bird on the label, they AREN'T the real deal!

 

 

 

 

Piopio Calf Club Day

Yesterday Piopio Primary School held its annual "Calf Club Day." I haven't been in Piopio during the week previously to be able to attend, so was really looking forward to seeing what went on. It's an annual opportunity in this small rural community for kids to bring their farm pets to school. All sorts of other interesting class projects are on display with prizes awarded for creativity/execution.

There were more lambs than calves in attendance, along with goats and horses too. Baking categories included cakes, cupcakes, Maori bread, plain scones, plain and iced gingerbread, and pikelets (pancakes). Crafts included "Aqua Jars" (flowers suspended upside down in water filled jars, might need to try this with Ella and Livvy..), "Vegetable Characters," and "Sand Saucers" and other types of floral arrangements. 

As you might expect, I spent most of my time watching the pet lamb contests. High cute and chaos quotient. They were judged in pens by the ages of the owners, starting with pre-schoolers. Categories included leading, coming when called and following. It was actually pretty easy to see which were true pets vs. those recruited for the day, and those owners with real bonds with their animals. The judges had their hands full keeping everyone on track, did a great job wrangling kids and animals.

Here are some photos from the morning:

What a great rural experience and tradition--long may it continue!



 

Magical Middle Earth

Yesterday I finally took some time to visit Hairy Feet Waitomo, the Piopio location used for filming part of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," just up the Mangaotaki River from Struan Farm. 

(Of course) I've seen the film as well as the second installment, "The Desolation of Smaug," so was interested to learn more about the sheer scale of the production and see specific spots where particular scenes were filmed. Hobbit fans and movie buffs won't be disappointed, there's lots to see. Including Bilbo's sword Sting!

But what blew me away was the staggering beauty of this landscape: the cliffs, limestone rocks, and bush. I could have spent hours lost in the photo zone! Hairy Feet Waitomo is about a whole lot more than "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." It is a working farm in a spectacular setting, where a movie also happened to be filmed.

It's really a must see, for locals and visitors alike, and we will tell our guests that. For me, this day was yet another reminder of the special beauty that surrounds us in Piopio, somewhat off the beaten track in New Zealand.

A Bird Goes to College

Fun to see this outline of the Piopio, our extinct native thrush, appear on the grounds of Piopio College in town. It's visible from SH3, and was a project of a group of Year 10 students with support from several sponsors, McDonald's Lime and Cody Haulage. 

Great job!

Piopio in the News!

Very exciting to see articles on Piopio's Hairy Feet Waitomo  Hobbit film location and the King Country as a destination in this past Weekend Herald, read them here.

And I quote: "Piopio is a sweetly tidy town where all the streets are named after native birds and everyone waves at you on country lanes as you drive past."  

Piopio: we're friendly and we're on the way!

Meeting the Home Guard

Awhile ago I posted about the fact that there are two "home guard" stations that date back to WW2 at Struan Farm. One is easier to access than the other, but there are obvious trenches that were constructed. (John's brother Carrick made little copper signs years ago as well.)

We recently learned that our friend Aaron's grandfather was one of the people who built them. Mr. Bevege, who is now in his mid-eighties, was in school in Piopio, and local boys were enlisted for this purpose.  

Aaron will bring him out to Struan Farm for a visit at some point soon, but I wanted to learn more about the history of these firsthand. So I baked an Orange Lightening Cake from Annabel Langbein's The Free Range Cook: Simple Pleasures and went calling in Piopio village to introduce myself. (In the country this is what you do.)

Turns out there is one other person still around the area, Stan Neal, who was involved in digging the trenches, so I'll also track him down to talk about what he remembers. While there weren't patrols, they did drill with rifles and a mortar. The concern was that the enemy would land to the south, take out the power station, and continue up the main road. And at the time, this was a very real concern in both New Zealand and Australia.

Fortunately this never happened, but the trenches and this history remain. It's quite special for us to connect with someone who was involved directly with the home guard trenches on the farm. And this was well before John's dad Maurie owned the farm, he purchased it as a returning serviceman after WW2.