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Clevedon Animal Farm

Clevedon Animal Farm

Picking up Miss K (8) from her 2 week holiday down in Thames we decided to once again combined work with a bit of getting lost out at Clevedon Animal Farm…

I had been hired to shoot a 2 year old’s birthday party at the wonderful Clevedon Animal Farm so decided to book James and Miss K in for a walk around the park and a pony ride while I was working.

It worked brilliantly – not only did they have a fantastic time but we got to get a bit lost on the way there and the way home, winding our way through the Pohutukawa Coast – stopping a fair few times along the way for photos (follow our instagram feed to see a few more of these) and to have a Mr Whippy ice-cream at Maraetai Wharf.

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Miss K setting out on Maraetai Wharf

But back on to Clevedon Animal Farm – I’ve been to a fair few animal farms over the past 10 years and Clevedon Animal Farm stacked up well. It had all the standard fare – donkeys, ponies, horses, geese, sheep, chickens and a very friendly dog.

But Clevedon Animal Farm had a little something else too – a cheeky sense of humour combined with a touch of whimsy.

Alongside the green fields were thoughtfully placed flowers and I was particularly enamoured with the pink bougainvillea that graced the entrance to the arena and grew all over the party area – meaning that even if you bought no party decorations you would be perfectly decorated.

As for the sense of humour, Miss K loved going around and spotting the 5 little piggies (particularly the one that went wee wee wee all the way home)…

Clevedon Animal Farm

And throughout the park there were quirky, fun touches everywhere which showed that they don’t take themselves too seriously.

The staff (made up on the day I visited of two of the owners grandchildren and two locals) were knowledgable, safety focussed and friendly and most importantly looked out for the animals as they got clamoured on by various kids.

Clevedon Animal Farms are perfect for horse mad kids (which Miss K certainly is) although she was hoping to be let off the lead for a little bit more riding which was not part of what they offered. In my experience I would put the perfect age for children visiting here at 3 – 6 years of age – but children either side (and adults) will love it too.

It has a superb party area where you can bring your own decorations or just go with what nature has so amply provided. Although it hasn’t been used as a wedding venue yet I think that Clevedon Animal Farms would make a great quirky venue for an intimate wedding with lots of spaces throughout the property and beautiful backdrops for photos.

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There is no shortage of great spots for photos but you will struggle with shadows if you are visiting in the midday sun so look for dense shade if you are wanting great shadow free photos – I found the best spots were down by the farm yard with the donkeys and goats (watch out for the goat photo bombing – it makes for some hilarious photos) and under shelter in the party area.

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The photo bomber

Bookings are by appointment so you will need to call first – all the details on how to contact them etc are here…

http://www.clevedonanimalfarm.co.nz/index.html

There is no cafe on site but just a 5 minute drive away you will find Clevedon town with a variety of places to eat on offer – we didn’t have a huge amount of time to shop around so went to The Corner Kitchen and Bar which provided a nice meal at a reasonable price (including just eggs on toast for James and Miss K which weren’t on the menu).

Allow at least a couple of hours for getting lost on the way home (either side of Clevedon the coast is just stunning) – take your togs because there are loads of great places to swim with nice shallow, calm beaches for the kids (high tide is better because it can be quite a walk out otherwise).

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