Farmstay FAQs

How much time is required to book farmstays?
Individual Bookings: At least 48 hours is required in most cases.
Group Bookings: At least two weeks notice is required for group farmstay bookings. Bookings inside twoweeks are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Why do people in New Zealand become farmstay hosts?
The key reason for becoming a host is that the hosts genuinely enjoy meeting people from other cultures, and are happy to share their homes so that overseas visitors get an insight into New Zealand everyday life on a farm.

What is the farmstay inspection process?
Rural Tourism staff visit all prospective host families’ properties and review long time hosts on a regular basis to ensure the quality of accommodation, service and experience offered to all Rural Tourism clients. The following factors are all taken into account when inspecting properties:

Guest Bedrooms:	Quality of the bedrooms, the bedding, linen, heating, cleanliness and location in the house.
Bathroom Facilities:	Quality and cleanliness of shower, bathtub and toilet. Location of toilet (in bathroom or separate), quality of accessories offered such as soap and shampoo.
Overall House Ambience:	Cleanliness and quality of carpets, wallpaper, and furniture. Outside house appearance, state of gardens, state of fencing, farm buildings and facilities.
Vehicles:	Cleanliness and condition of family car used to transport guests to/from the meeting point.
Location:	Proximity to the nearest town, proximity of closest neighbours.
Special Attractions and Activities:	Presence of house pets, possession of luxury items such as tennis court, swimming pool or spa pool for guest use.
Farm Experience Available:	The kind of farm experience which is offered, safety requirements on site. Access to neighbouring farms, Able to host throughout the year rather than just seasonally.
Hospitality:	Check of host families’ personalities and friendliness. Willingness to hosts all nationalities, willingness to host 2, 3, or 4 guests, and willingness to host both sexes. Confident at cooking. Agree to all rules and stipulations as advised by Rural Tourism.

Do I need to be good at speaking English?
Minimal English ability is required. Our hosts are experienced in hosting people from around the world. Body language is very universal..! A smile goes along way no matter where you are from.

What type of farming activities are included?
The type of farm activities will depend on the time of year, farm type, weather, etc. Activities may include the feeding and moving of stock, assisting/watching cow milking, a farm tour on the back of a tractor, visiting neighbouring farms, or even a visit to the local horse racing track. Due to Health and Safety issues, the farming activities will be limited to light work.

Can I ride a horse during the farmstay?
We do not permit horse riding at our farmstays for safety issues. We recommend that anyone wishing to experience horse riding does so at a professional horse riding school. Rural Tourism can arrange this for you.

Is a farmstay expensive?
At first glance a farmstay may appear to be expensive, however it does include accommodation, all meals, refreshments, transfers (group tours only), and activities. Most people find that by the time they add everything up, a farmstay is very good value.

What about dietary requirements?
Provided you let us know in advance this in not an issue. We simply notify our hosts of the dietary requirement and they can cater accordingly.

Can you provide transfers to the farm?
Return transfers are included for all coach groups and we are able to arrange for our hosts to collect your group from inner city motels, hotels or from the local bus or train station. Please note that we do not guarantee transfers for the cities of Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin or Queenstown. Self drive guests are given all the necessary documentation to ensure they find their farmstay with the minimum of effort.

Will we have our own bathroom?
In most cases, you will be the exclusive guests at your farmstay. Most hosts have their own separate bathroom, and you have exclusive use of a second bathroom. For group tours, the guest bathroom is usally shared between all guests. .

How long would you recommend staying on a farmstay?
Rural Tourism recommends two night stays if possible. This way, you have plenty of time to enjoy a range of activities and experiences with your hosts. Of course, one night stays are also possible.

What are the limitations of host families during farmstays?
A farmstay experience should not be confused with staying in a hotel. Guests are staying in a real life family home and hosts are opening their home to allow overseas visitors to enjoy the opportunity. Hosts are not staff who are expected to look after guests 24/7.

Why do farmstay hosts sometimes suddenly change before I arrive?
Rural Tourism farmstay hosts are all from the local farming community. The reasons for cancellation or amendments are nearly always personal reasons, such as sudden illness or family reasons. Rural Tourism respects the privacy of the host family, so it is sometimes not possible to provide such details to the client. .

It is important that the tour organisers and/or schools are advised at the time of planning and during the briefing to parents that such changes do occur and are unavoidable. They should also be advised that any replacements hosts will offer the same wonderful farmstay experience to their guests.

Can I obtain detalied information about my farmstay hosts in advance?
Due to the law governing the New Zealand Privacy Act, the amount of information able to be advised about individual host families is limited. Information given by Rural Tourism covers the key points about the Farmstay destination and host family, but cannot be elaborated on further due to the Privacy Act. Similar Acts cover Privacy around the world.

Are late check outs possible?
Late Check Outs are available up to 1.30 pm on the day of departure. Additional charges apply.