Five years ago, Rodney and Mellanie Hale made the decision to move from Hanmer Springs to Brightwater and help their family start what is known today as Forge Farm.
The property, which started out selling garden art, has now diversified to include a Park Over Property, garden tours and produce, along with a kiosk stall selling homemade chutneys, relishes, jams, candles, soaps, wellness balms and fruit trees.
Forge Farm is owned by retired couple Maurice Berwick and his partner Phillipa, who is Rodney’s mum.
According to Mellanie, it’s a “family affair.”
Maurice and Phillipa make garden art, Phillipa takes care of the house gardens, Maurice looks after the sheep and cows. Mellanie and Rodney run the edible orchard and chickens on the property, while Phillipa, Mellanie and Rodney’s sister, Vicki (candles), make products out of what is produced.
“Five years ago, they had five acres here and they were doing garden art that we were selling in Hanmer Springs,” Mellanie explains.
“We weren’t really working; we were just doing some garden maintenance here and there.”
“We said ‘why don’t we make it a thing’.”
The Forge Farm name came from Maurice, who had a forge (hearth used for heating metals) for the garden art, out the front of the workshop.
Initially the focus was garden art before Phillipa wanted to do garden tours, which meant raising the farm’s profile.
Forge Farm at 41 Heslington Rd is now part of the Brightwater School Garden Trail on Saturday, 17 October.
The public can also wander through from 10am – 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays throughout spring and summer.
“Phillipa’s very, very fussy about her gardens,” Mellanie says.
“She doesn’t like people looking at them when they don’t look 100% perfect, so we prefer to wait until it’s in full bloom.”
The family then started the Park Over Property advertised through the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, to utilise a paddock that the sheep didn’t really like.
“That’s been very successful in the spring and summer, although it’s very quiet at the moment as people haven’t started travelling around again,” Mellanie says.
The Park Over Property offers guests the farm experience of seeing sheep like Fliss and Frankie, along with the friendly cows and meeting Kimba the Maine Coon cat, or the opportunity to wander the large garden space, including the flower garden and edible orchard.
The edible orchard (also part of the Brightwater School tour), includes 300 strawberry plants and espalier feijoas, among other fruit trees, along with a new hothouse.
The orchard utilises companion planting to avoid the use of chemical sprays.
“This has been a big hit with a lot of people, you know there’s always produce,” Mellanie exclaims.
“We have six people on the property so a lot of it gets eaten off the property.”
“We grow most of the flowers and medicinal herbs, we sell flowers in the kiosk and encourage bees to come in. We do it as organically as possible.”
The kiosk stall also sells produce, including homemade chutneys, relishes, jams, candles, soaps, wellness balms, fruit trees and souvenirs, for members of the public to buy.
Mellanie says that the family members involved with running Forge Farm are “all pretty practical”.
Rodney and Mellanie have even set up their own landscaping company called Personalised Landscapes, utilising their love of nature and plants.
“For me, I hate being inside,” Mellanie admits.
“I’m an outside person and I love to be outside as much as I can.”
