Having lived in Auckland for 20 years, and as an avid Google Maps explorer it's always a most welcome surprise to find somewhere that not only have we not been to, but not even heard of. These days we are looking for new things to do that are also going to be entertaining for a Toddler, and Franklin Farm was one of those places that we came across in our searches.
Franklin farm is located close to Muriwai beach, an approximately 40 minute drive from central Auckland. Visiting the Beach and it's Gannet Colony in addition to the Farm would be a great way to spend your day.
There is plenty of free parking and for entry, an Ultimate Pass costs $25 per adult, $15 per child and under 2's are free. You can pay for the Butterfly House or Sunflower fields separately but for a few dollars more just do everything.
The farm is spread over a large site with 2 separate areas with their own entrances a small distance down the road from each other, separated by what I assume is the owners residence. Continuity between the two sites would be a welcome improvement!
We arrived shortly after the opening time of 9am on a hot summer's day, and already there was a constant stream of cars turning up, it ended up very busy so it's obviously a popular place!
We entered at the Butterfly House area where we paid for our tickets and received our wristbands which would give us access to the other site. The opening area had outdoor tables and chairs along with a few bouncy castles, a good spot for a snack whilst the kids burn off some steam. Nearby there is a pick-your-own corn field but it was picked clean on our visit. A shame as our girl loves munching on corn at the moment.
Beyond that we walked through a stunning flower garden of Dahlias and Zinnias that was just bursting with colour, accompanied by the soundtrack of buzzing bumblebees, and large Monarch Butterflies. Nearby there are Bunny cuddles from 10am, great for the kids. We were far too early and Rabbits are a little fragile for a Toddler's 'gentle' pats.
Walking into the Butterfly house I got a welcome surprise - it was not oppressively hot and humid like the one at Butterfly Creek, in fact it was no different to outside, as though this Butterfly house was to simply contain and protect the inhabitants and nothing else.
Thanks to the bearable climate we could take our time here, getting up close to the hundreds and hundreds of large Monarch butterflies perched among the wonderful gardens. There is more photos at the bottom of the page.
After the Butterfly house, and after we had managed to detach our little girl from the old Tractor sitting outside we headed out and down the road toward the Sunflower fields. You arrive at another Ticket counter where you can flash your bands if you bought the Ultimate pass at the previous one, and walk on in to another open area with Food and coffee trucks, toilets and seating. Time for a coffee break.
Over to the left is the entrance to the farm area, which to be honest was pretty light on farm animals considering the place is called a Farm. Still, there were a few different animals and they were easy for small children to see. There were Ponies, sheep, goats, small cows and chickens.
From 10am to 2pm there are Baby Goat Cuddles. There was quite a queue for this. We got to spend a few minutes in a pen with 5 adorable and typically erratic baby goats. Recommended.
After walking around the farm and seeing the various animals we set out for the Sunflower fields. There are a few and they are massive so there is a little bit of walking involved. There are a few other small sections of various flowers adding an alternate splash of colour, but they cannot compare to the sheer grandeur of masses and masses of sunflowers.
Not only are they vast fields of sunflowers, but the sunflowers themselves are huge. At a guess I'd say around 7 feet tall. From ground level walking around the fields you only get a sense of scale when you can see how far each of the pathways through the fields go into the distance.
Post a Comment