New Zealand’s most Beautiful Lavender Farms
Who dosen’t love the bright blue purple lavender flower and when they are viewed blooming en-masse in a lavender farm they look even more stunning. To appreciate lavender at it’s best, it is usually best to visit lavender farms in New Zealand between November and the end of January when the flowers are blooming. Remember to watch out for the bees with the kids, as they also love the levender and are pollinating the blooms. Here are our favourite New Zealand lavender fields to visit with your family and friends, including three in Auckland!
CCT Lavender Farm in Karaka, Auckland
CCT Lavender is an organic lavender farm in Karaka in South Auckland which opened to the public in 2020. There is a large Farm Cafe which is open from Tuesday to Sunday with a fenced indoor kids play area and a giant chess set which is onsite. The lavender fields are open in December, January and February and require an entry ticket which includes cutting your own bunch of lavendar. Note you can’t see the lavender fields from the cafe, due to the hedges and fences between the cafe and the field.
Lavender Hill Farm in Riverhead, Auckland
Lavender Hill is a mixed lavender, olive and lemon farm in Riverhead in North-West Auckland. Farm tours are available during the flowering season from December to the end of January when the lavender is harvested. On the pre-booked tours you can enjoy walking among the lavender fields and olive trees, learn how lavender oil is produced, feed the alpacas and admire the views across the Waitakere Ranges. The Lavender Hill Farm shop is open to visitors during the holidays and weekends.
Leafy Hollow in Waiuku, Auckland
Leafy Holly is a three acre lavender garden in Waiuku. The lavender garden is open from the end of September until the end of March and during blooming season there are public hours that give you the chance to wander among the rows of lavender. The lavender garden, nursery and gift shop are normally open each weekend. There is a range of seating around the garden and wheelchair access to the majority of the garden area.
Lavender Backyard Garden in Hamilton
Visit Lavender Backyard Garden in Newstead in Hamilton to pick-your-own lavender (and blue berries) in Summer during the lavender season from December to January. Entry to the lavender garden is from $7 per person and kids under 5 go FREE. If you would like to pick your own lavender it is $12 per ring glass jar of flowers. To pick your own blueberries it is $5 per person to enter with kids under 3 going for FREE and it is around $16 per kg of blueberries. During December and January there is also a coffee cart on site too. The Farm shop is open from November to February each year and has ready-picked blueberries and lavender skin care products available.
Alphra Lavender in Te Awamutu, Waikato
Alphra Lavender Farm is in Te Awamutu in New Zealand’s Waikato District and grows four different varieties of lavender: Grosso, Pacific Blue, Super and Impress Purple. Their lavender flowers from early December with Pacific Blue and the main Grosso and Super Fields will fully flower from mid December through to late January when they then harvest the lavender to start distilling the lavender oil at the farm. The lavender gardens are free to roam during the open season, or you can choose to take part in a pre-booked FREE educational tour to learn about growing lavender and the oil distillation process.
Lauren's Lavender Farm in Taumarunui
Lauren’s Lavender Farm fields are adjacent to the Whanganui River on SH 43, the Forgotten World Highway and only 15kms away from Taumarunui in the central King Country of the North Island. The 8,000 lavender plants are in full bloom from the end of December until early March each year. The old farm house and make-shift horse stables have been converted into a cafe with a deck that overlooks the lavender fields and the river.
Ranui Essentials Lavender Farm in Martinborough
Ranui Essentials Lavender Farm welcomes you to amazing smells in their small 10 acre lavender fields based in Dry River Road, in Martinborough in the Wairarapa just one hour’s drive from Wellington, New Zealand. From November to February you can see the purple haze as you drive up Dry River Road and go on a tour of the lavender farm to learn about the four different varieties of lavender that they grow.
Lavender Abbey in Wairarapa
Admire the blue lavender fields at Lavender Abbey in Carteron, in the Wairarapa just an hours drive from Wellington. There are three types of spray free New Zealand grown lavender: French lavender Grosso, English Lavender Pacific Blue and English Lavender Violet Intrigue grown at Lavender Abbey’s farm. Each year they host “Pick your own Lavender” days in January for $2 entry per person and $5 per bunch of pick-your-own-lavender.
Lavender Creek Farm in Otaki, Kapiti Coast
The natural Lavender Creek Farm has over 7,000 lavender plants, olive trees and grape vines on the beautiful property in the Kapiti Coast which is just 45 minutes north of Wellington. There are over 300 types of lavender on the Lavender Creek Farm which are farmed, distilled and manufactured into award winning lavender oils on site.
Lavendyl Lavender Farm in Kaikoura
Visit Lavendyl Lavender Farm in Kaikoura in the Cantebury region of New Zealand’s South Island. The lavender farm has over 50 different varieties of plants on the five acre lavender farm. During the months of January and February when the flowers are at their peak you can see the Lavender oil distilling process on site. You can enjoy a cup of tea in the tearooms or the garden too.
Wanaka Lavender Farm in Wanaka
Enjoy the lavender fields, farm animals and display gardens at the family friendly Wanaka Lavender Farm in Wanaka in the Otago region of the South Island. The lavender farm is open from March to November but the best time to view the flowers are from December to February each summer. With over 7,000 lavender plants across the 12 hectares it is stunning when the lavender is in full bloom.
The kids can enjoy playing the garden games and meeting the alpacas, goats, donkeys, chickens, pigs, sheep and a pony. The purple Massey Fergusson tractor is a hit with the young tractor fans too. The cafe sells lavender flavoured ice-creams, Lakes Honey and other treats for you to enjoy while admiring the purple fields.
Ben Lomond Lavender Farm in Queenstown
You can find Ben Lomond Lavender Farm in the beautiful Wakatipu Valley, a short 10 minute drive from Queenstown or Arrowtown in the South Island of New Zealand. The Lavender Farm is open from October to April by appointment and farm visits cost from $5 to $10 per adult depending on the month you visit and children are FREE. Enjoy walking through the rows of lavender and display gardens when you visit. The lavender farm is closed from May through to early October each year. They grow organically oil producing lavenders: Lavandula Angustifolia and L. Intermedia which are steam distilled on the farm immediately after harvesting.
Danseys Pass Lavender in Oamaru
In Summer from Christmas until the end of February enjoy the lavender fields at Danseys Pass Lavender 27 kilometres from Oamaru in the South Island of New Zealand. Bring a picnic, take photos of the purple lavender flower rows, enjoy the lavender fragrance and try their lavender ice cream.
New Zealand Alpine Lavender in Twizel
Admire the organic lavender in the untouched pristine environment at New Zealand Alpine Lavender in Twizel in the MacKenzie Region of the South Island. The lavender fields have three main cultivars: Pacific Blue, Avice Hill and Violet Intrigue (named Old English Lavender). You can visit the lavender fields from December to March each year.
Afterwards you could also visit the stunning Lake Tekapo, as it is only a 40 minute drive from Twizel.
Photo credits: Wanaka Lavender Farm, Auckland for Kids, Lavender Hill Farm, Leaf Holly Lavender Farm, Alpha Lavender Farm, Lavender Abbey, Ben Lomond Lavender Farm and New Zealand Alpine Lavender Farm.
Po Lin Luci says
Hi,
I’ll be in Tekapo on the 19th Nov. Do you think the lavenders will be beautiful then?
Auckland for Kids says
Hi Po Lin Luci,
I will depend on the weather you may seem some if you are lucky.
Places like NZ Alpine Lavender https://nzalpinelavender.com/ in nearby Twizel don’t open until the 1st December which is also the first day of summer in New Zealand.
thinnish says
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