Waikato farm diversified with Nikau cave business
Looking for opportunities to keep their adult children working and raising their families nearby, Philip and Anne Woodward added cave exploration and a café to their farming operation in a remote area south of Port Waikato
Words: Kate Coughlan Photos: Mark Smith
Beautiful limestone country spreads south from the mouth of the Waikato River, hugging the solitary coast where the Tasman Sea toils daily against the black-sand beaches. Between Port Waikato and Raglan nikau, cabbage trees, kowhai and puriri creep out of sheltered hollows between the lush grass and ribbed limestone outcrops, providing tui and kingfishers with excellent lifestyle opportunities.
NZ Life & Leisure Magazine, Issue 36, March/April 2011