Experience authentic farm stay accommodation in New Zealand’s South Island

Aschworth High Country Station offers a three-day, two night South Island farm stay complete with luxury accommodation and gourmet foods in Marlborough’s Brancott Valley.

Meet your high country farm stay hosts

A family of four standing outdoors on a grassy hillside. The father holds a wooden stick, wearing a knit hat and outdoor clothing. The mother, in sunglasses and a winter jacket, is gently touching his arm. Two young boys are beside them; one is smiling broadly, the other is looking down. Several dogs are around them. The landscape features rolling hills and scattered trees.

For George and Sarah Murray, a walk through Marlborough’s high country is a big part of day to day life, a chance to take a minute to escape from the demands of being working parents and ‘just be’ within the expanse that they are lucky enough to call their backyard. 

Shortly after the couple moved to Aschworth with their two sons Hank and Walter in December 2020, an idea was born to share that backyard with others, and the couple set about creating the ultimate luxury farm stay here in the high country of the South Island.

It was a venture that would draw on George’s background as a helicopter pilot and farmer, and Sarah’s career in tourism and marketing, aligning seamlessly with their mutual love of the outdoors, of health and wellness and their pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle. 

The high country farm nestled above the wine capital of New Zealand offers a chance to unplug and take in the beauty of nature, and strengthen their physical and mental wellbeing. It’s the ultimate soul food, further propped up by gourmet meals and luxury accommodations.

Aschworth High Country Station remains an operational merino farm and is closed to the public, but is yours to explore for the duration of your stay.

Meet the Ashworth high country farm team

  • Farmer standing in a green field with a flock of sheep in the background, hills in the distance.

    Mondo

    TRACK MASTER

    Track extraordinaire and jack of all trades! Mondo is the master of our track work, finding the best paths to take, mapping the track and finding some special spots along the way that we can share with you.

    Mondo could be found doing track maintenance, hosting you on your arrival at Aschworth or changing the beds - we did say jack of all trades!

  • Group of chefs posing in front of a "Karaka Cuisine" sign.

    Kaiaka Cuisine

    SANDER DE WIT

    Sander, Bianca and the team at Kaiaka Catering have agreed to our crazy plans and will be the source of all your delicious food while you are with us at Aschworth.

    ‘What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people’

  • Two children reaching up to a "Devold" sign on a corrugated metal wall.

    Devold

    NEW ZEALAND MERINO CLOTHING

    Aschworth is a working merino farm, we are proud to contract our merino wool to Devold New Zealand, they use sustainably sourced merino - from sheep to shop, every garment comes with a tag showing the New Zealand farm from which the wool originated.

    We offer Devold products for sale in our farm shop.

Aschworth High Country Station: Providing the ultimate soul food for every visitor.