Claremont Estate

North Canterbury

Claremont Estate is situated an hour's drive north of Christchurch in the South Island.  It's a little-known area and an unpopulated area, which is just beginning to become popular and known as a wine region.  The situation is lovely, rolling North Canterbury hills, an easy drive south to Christchurch and north to Kaikoura or Blenheim/Picton.

Now focus in a little on this gentle and sophisticated piece of countryside and see an equally gentle an sophisticated estate.  Claremont isn't just called an estate, it is an estate.  A working estate.  A working estate with a number of gems - from sheep farm to deer farm through to the first truffle farm set up in New Zealand.  Rather than introduce our clients to New Zealand farms or sheep through artificial shows such as Sheepworld in Rotorua, we like to take them to this real farm to see it happening in reality.

Now we focus in a little further on the estate and see an interesting river and some unusual geological formations.  This is a place to which students of geology are brought as it holds a number of wonders - from shelves pushed up which clearly depict significant times in humankind's history through to fossilized dinosaur bones covered and preserved in boulders more private and spectacular than the Moeraki Boulders.

Focussing in further, we have a lovely original homestead built by early settlers.  Tastefully renovated and totally real.

And at the centre, orchestrating everything we have the owners, a gentle and well-travelled couple, Richard and Rosie Goord.  They farm, they take guests on very interesting and unusual guided tours, they host (on request) well balanced dinner parties, and they ensure the smooth running of the lodge and estate.  Every time I have stayed, the dinner has been delicious and more often than not sourced from natural products found on the estate.