Avon Valley Safaris & Premium Game
A Marlborough farm offering hunting, tourism and fine dining to its visitors.
Avon Valley is around 45 minutes by road from Blenheim. It is a special place that has for the past decade been attracting visitors from around the world and from the New Zealand corporate sector. They come to trophy hunt and enjoy fine dining with overseas guests also relishing the bespoke touring packages on offer.
The 2,000-plus hectare property – or ranch, as owners Darren and Sarah call it (to accommodate their overseas visitors) is a working sheep and beef farm with 2,500 Romney breeding ewes and 250 black Angus cattle. It is also home to their Avon Valley Safaris operation.
With the Teme River running alongside, this is rolling hill country. What is not pasture is cloaked in native bush with towering beech trees and lots of manuka as well.
Having travelled the world building a successful honey business (Taylor Pass Honey) Darren was keen to get back to his Marlborough roots as well as his passion – the great outdoors. “My passion’s always been hunting, fishing, tramping and spending time in the open air with family and friends,” says Darren.
To ensure guests have an authentic hunting experience – or fishing, both saltwater and freshwater – professional guides are employed. They know the trophies visitors have on their bucket list as well as the lie of the land – and the water. Avon Valley Safaris’ spot and stalk hunts target introduced species that are in the wild including red stags, fallow deer, sika, rusa, sambar, Himalayan tahr, chamois, goats, pigs and elk.
At the heart of the operation are two two-bedroom luxury lodges overlooking the bush and river, making for an experience many visitors describe as serene. The lodges can also cater for corporate events and with them there is a private chef, Mark Diu.
Mark wows guests with his five-star culinary expertise showcasing New Zealand cuisine that can feature delicacies he forages from the surrounding forest along with locally grown seasonal vegetables and fruit. Many a guest at the lodges has commented that Mark’s cuisine was an unexpected highlight of their stay.
Along with the hunting, guests also can explore attractions around New Zealand. Visits to Marlborough’s leading wineries are always popular and there are also opportunities to go cruising in the Marlborough Sounds, take a helicopter flight into the high country to have a picnic or land on a glacier, or to go whale watching. Avon Valley Safari’s business and client manager, Carrie Anderson, puts together these bespoke experiences.
Alongside the Avon Valley Safaris business, Darren and Sarah co-own and operate Premium Game with Darren’s brother, Nick Clifford.
Located in Blenheim, Premium Game is a licensed supplier of wild game meat that is lean, tender and sustainably sourced. Amongst its customers are top New Zealand restaurants, as well as consumers nationwide who appreciate the direct to the door delivery service. With Nick at the helm, Premium Game works with registered hunters to harvest and process wild game from various locations throughout the South Island.
Following a food safety inspection conducted by AssureQuality, the free-range meat is processed by butchers skilled in the preparation of game before it is packaged and delivered to customers.
With a ‘nose-to-tail’ approach that sees almost zero wastage in the butchery process Premium Game’s product line-up includes fresh cuts, meat boxes, small goods and deli items, as well as food for pets.
Nick says: “Through Premium Game we make a valuable contribution to the conservation of New Zealand’s countryside and to biodiversity with local hunters helping to control pest numbers in a sustainable and ethical manner that shows respect to the animals by treating them as a valuable food resource”.
https://www.avonvalleysafaris.co.nz/