Lavender Row is just a 25 minute drive south-west from Dunedin’s Centre, situated along State Highway 87 between Mosgiel and Outram. The property sits nestled into the hillside, with views of the Taieri Plain and watched over by the mighty Maungatua. The Plain enjoys a micro-climate and was once known for market gardens and fruit growing. The lavender and the bees love it!
The Lavender Row story began over dinner one night in early 2017 - two cousins sharing their visions for the future. Paula was living in Auckland at that stage. She wanted to move away from the city and her corporate career to explore a long-held dream of living on a farm and growing lavender. Paula also wanted to provide her three beautiful children with the experience of growing up on a farm. Kelly was also tired of the corporate rat race and wanted to live a simpler lifestyle and thought Paula was on to something.
After conducting extensive due diligence on Dunedin and its environs (you can take the girl out of the corporate but not the corporate out of the girl!), Paula made the momentous and life-changing decision to move to Dunedin where Kelly already lived. Our partnership was conceived, and the journey began
We spent nearly 12 months looking for the right property which needed to house two families, be within easy commuting distance to the city and all its facilities, and let’s not forget also needed to be right for growing lavender. The perfect property was found and purchased, Paula and the kids arrived, and we rolled up our sleeves to develop Lavender Row.
Right from the start, we knew this was not going to be easy as we were starting from scratch and learning as we went along. From mounding up by hand the first 18 rows that are 50 metres long and then laying weed mat, to using a brush cutter to clear a paddock of head high thistle in the blistering 2018 summer sun - these were just a few of the back breaking, body aching jobs we started with. Now those initial challenges seem like a distant memory as we move from strength to strength. Kelly has now left the business but the vision remains and the Lavender Row story continues.
Paula has now invested in Estate Aromatics - brain-child of Paul Greaves who designed and patented the steam vacuum distillation system which is used at Lavender Row. This allows Paula to offer distillation services to others, distilling pure essential oils and hydrosols from lavender and other material. In addition, Paul and Paula are working together under the brand of Estate Aromatics to build a thriving business distilling and marketing a growing range of essential oils and are researching the beneficial properties and yield potential of new source material.
From bare land to a beautiful lavender farm – we have really only just started to truly develop and see the full potential of our property.
They say the journey is just as important as the destination. If that’s so, then we’re loving every moment of it and hope you come along for the journey with us….
