Develop your self reliance skills

Explore our range of fun, educational activities focused on low impact, self sufficiency, gardening and resilience.

We run these workshops and learning activities on demand for individuals and small groups. An ideal addition to your overnight stay.

Book your experience today

Create a simple flax basket

We will teach you how to weave a traditional Maori square basket. Made from natural flax fibre grown at blockhill, this simple pattern can be used to create baskets of various sizes.

Identify, harvest and prepare flax leaves before weaving your own small basket to take away.
1 hour
  education  craft  weaving 
$40.00
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Book your experience today

Water wise land shaping and rain harvesting strategies

  • Tour the numerous terraces, swales and water other catchment systems and learn how they intercept, redirect and retain water in the landscape
  • Witness how swales and raised beds can be deployed in a food forest setting and how they benefit chickens, ducks and pigs
  • Discuss and demonstrate various tools and techniques
  • Rainwater harvesting, tanks, piping and pumps
  • Utilising grey water and run-off with trees and gardens
  • Digital presentation and discussion covering key concepts and strategies in bad weather
2 hours
  swale  water  education 
$80.00
View 4 photos
Book your experience today

Learn about foodscaping / food forest gardening

Develop an understanding of how to design and implement your own food forest garden with a one on one guided tour and discussion session.
  • Explore the extensive, established forest garden at blockhill
  • Learn identify, develop and exploit niches to grow a wider range of useful plants
  • Discuss mixed and companion planted polycultures and guilds
  • Understand plant succession for ecosystem transition and transformation
  • Witness beneficial insects and extreme biodiversity
  • Meet the chooks, ducks and pigs and see how they fit into the system
  • Overview of useful hand tools
  • Digital presentation / slideshow in bad weather
2 hours
  food forest  education  gardening  permaculture 
$80.00
View 4 photos
Book your experience today
Learn to graft fruit trees (seasonal)

Learn to graft fruit trees (seasonal)

Grow your knowledge of fruit tree cloning through the ancient art of grafting. Learn by seeing and doing with hands on examples and one on one tuition and explanation. We will cover:
  • Collecting and storing grafting (scion) wood from desired trees
  • Understanding and propagating rootstocks
  • Grafting tools and techniques
  • View many examples of grafted trees of various types, complexity and age
2 hours
  July   August   September  
  grafting  education  trees  propagation 
$80.00
Book your experience today

Learn to use a scythe

This workshop covers the details of using and caring for a traditional Austrian scythe. These tools are ideal for keeping smaller areas of grass under control. You will learn about:
  • Safety
  • Correct setup for your body
  • Posture, motion and technique for effective use
  • Different blades for different jobs
  • Sharpening and repairing
1 and a half hours
  scythe  education 
$60.00
Book your experience today
Effective fire making

Effective fire making

Details  Master the art of starting and utilising fire, essential for cooking, heating water and much more.
  • Locate, identify and create suitable kindling
  • Work safely with axe and saw
  • Build and light different types of fires
Duration  1 hour
Price  $40.00

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Activities

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