The Farm.
Million Springs is an 830-hectare working Dairy farm nestled at the base of the Kirkliston Range at the mouth of the majestic Hakataramea Valley. We milk just over two thousand dairy cows and pride ourselves on our sustainable farming practices and livestock management. Along with our amazing team of staff who all live on the farm, we are passionate about producing quality milk and dairy products enjoyed in New Zealand and across the globe.
During your stay at Nest you will be welcome to walk and bike the allocated farm tracks or take a farm tour where you will be immersed in the daily running of a working farm and of course take a visit to the dairy shed to see the cows being milked. You may even have the opportunity to milk one yourself.
Farm history.
It is hard to believe the rich history of this property started from a simple “toss of a coin”. In 1871 on a chilly Glasgow wharf a young Alpheus Hayes was about to decide his and his ancestors’ fate by using a coin to decide whether to board a ship to New Zealand or back home to Canada. We all know the outcome, and after meeting his to be wife Anna on the same boat they docked in Dunedin and set off to make history in South Canterbury.
Million Springs was the original name of the second property purchased by Alpheus and Anna in 1878. “The Run” as it was known to them was a support block to their main property Centrewood in Waimate and a substantial timber mill which they had established some years prior. Generations of the Hayes family have continued to farm and enjoy this land, always warmly welcoming guests from around the globe and we intend to carry on this tradition. On your visit you will have the opportunity to discover more about our history, and if really interested even get lost in our family book aptly titled “From the toss of a coin”.
Where will the Road take You ?
In the middle of nowhere, but exactly where you need to be.
