Into to the wild

How did two guys from Europe end up turning wasteland into a wellness garden near queenstown?

Drifts of achillea, or yarrow, grow in front of the original sheep yards at Dart Valley Station near Glenorchy – owners Gerhard Sieber and Arkadiusz Durslewicz use the white variety in the soaps and essential oils they make commercially and say that the flowers are also excellent for fresh or dried flower arrangements; the building is their seed shed.

It’s a long way from the busy streets of Berlin to a small farm near Queenstown, but two men have embraced the change with energy and passion – rejuvenating tired land, establishing a wellness botanics business and building two replica cottages along the way.

In their former lives, Arkadiusz Durslewicz was a chef and Gerhard Sieber worked in television production, distribution and licensing, but they found themselves with little spare time outside of work and a hankering for a different life. Not that they work any less now, but with bees, birds of all types, cows, flowers and each other for company, they couldn’t be happier.

Initially planning to buy a house on tiny Lamu Island in Kenya, they instead ended up near Melbourne in Australia in 2012 where Arkadiusz discovered a passion for growing produce. Says Gerhard: “It was our first time on a lifestyle property after living in apartments in big cities all our lives. The bigger change was that we actually saw each other all the time – and we’re actually a really good team.”

On a trip to New Zealand, “we arrived in Queenstown and we’re sitting in the car and simultaneously we looked at each other and said ‘why didn’t we consider moving to New Zealand in the first place?’. It’s so beautiful – and there are no deadly animals,” laughs Gerhard.

He was still travelling for work so Arkadiusz came to New Zealand with their four dogs, rented an old Toyota van and spent three months travelling the country looking for somewhere to settle. The result of their search was “a totally neglected 70ha farm between Mt Alfred and the Dart River. Everyone said we were mad,” says Gerhard.

Dart Valley Station was strewn with old cars, one containing two refrigerators, and the farmhouse had such large gaps in the walls the couple dubbed it “the possum highway”. But during their first visit, as a storm blew in, Gerhard’s mind was made up: “This is what I always imagined from New Zealand, this wild roughness.” Arkadiusz took more convincing: “We’ve always lived in big cities and I’m not a village boy and even the village is so far away from here.”

But Arkadiusz loves wild bees and despite a local expert telling him it would be hard to establish populations of bees on the land, he was determined. He researched appropriate flowers and herbs to plant and set to work.

The couple also planted many trees, grasses and other plants, guarding them against hungry feral deer until they were grown.

Gerhard, left, and Arkadiusz with drifts of ‘Hidcote’ English lavender – they also grow ‘Grosso’ lavender for their essential oil production under the AD by Dart Valley Station brand; behind them are the flower spires of mullien, used in tinctures for lung health, while the mountains in the background are the Humboldt Range.

LEFT Hermès, the couple’s Rhodesian ridgeback, keeps a lookout for rabbits in a casual seating area furnished with bright orange adirondack chairs by Canadiana in Levin – he was so named because, like the luxury brand, he was very expensive to bring into the country. RIGHT Foxgloves grow up through bright orange Helenium ‘Waltraut’ which is a “real insect magnet”, says Arkadiusz; the trees behind are varieties of beech trees, crab apple and wormwood, as well as blackcurrant bushes.

LEFT The big oak tree is prominently positioned as you enter the farm: “Arkadiusz’s and my home countries (Poland and Germany) both have the oak tree as our national tree. So if you ask Arkadiusz it is definitely a Polish oak!” Gerhard says; the vibrant green adirondack chairs also came from Canadiana. RIGHT The smaller of the two replica cottages Arkadiusz and Gerhard had built on the property is used mainly for guests: “We always lived in really big houses and for now we decided, okay, we will shrink down, we don’t need all that space,” says Arkadiusz.

“After a few seasons, we had so many flowers we were giving them away so then I thought it would be a good idea to turn a hobby into a business,” says Arkadiusz.

They now distill their own essential oils and make handcrafted soaps, candles and more under the AD by Dart Valley Station brand, supplying luxury lodges like nearby Blanket Bay.

The flower-growing season is short, from December to March, so their days are very busy. Arkadiusz approaches everything with passion, even finding uses for the humble dandelion. Says Gerhard: “He comes up with about 10 new ideas every week and my job is to filter those down to one.”

Those ideas extended to the design of the two new cottages, which look as though they have graced the land for centuries. The original farmhouse and buildings were too derelict to save, but the couple were determined to honour the character of the original farm, using a specialist building firm Cottage Co from Christchurch for the job. “The plan was to achieve a look as though the cottages have always been here so that’s why we decided for the early settler look using stone and wood – and of course a good kitchen for Arkadiusz,” says Gerhard.

The couple will build a larger new house in about two years, and the cottages will be used for guests.

Initially they rented a house in nearby Glenorchy and worked on the farm each day, earning the respect of sceptical neighbours who watched as they lugged large rolls of wet woollen weed matting into place, hand-watered hundreds of newly planted trees during a drought and wrangled frisky cows back into their paddocks. When Gerhard slipped and fell onto a cow pat, one neighbour declared that he was finally a Kiwi farmer.

The couple now have only one dog, a Rhodesian ridgeback called Hermès. He’s joined by some rare Tufty highland cattle, geese, ducks, quails and pheasants, and, of course, those bees.

You might think they’d want to take it easy now that the land is refurbished, the gardens planted and the cottages built, but no. Their next venture is an eco-tourism project on the property called The Future is Wild @ The Hillocks, combining guided nature walks with augmented reality technology and environmental education, with a portion of the profits going to reforestation projects and local schools. Then they will no doubt come up with yet another idea after that.

LEFT Arkadiusz is so proud of his various varieties of dahlias that Gerhard isn’t allowed near them. RIGHT False valerian (Centranthus ruber) grows behind the dahlias and the round tree on the right is kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium): “After planting lots of pittosporum, we’ve realised that they cope better with wind and snow when we shape them into balls,” says Gerhard; the shed is used for drying lavender and flowers: “A mistake we made was underestimating storage needs. When you run a business from your property, you need space for packaging, materials, finished products... we’re constantly playing Tetris with boxes,” says Arkadiusz.

A row of flowering French hydrangeas brightens the garden beside the guest cottage.

FROM LEFT A water wheel found at a small farm between Queenstown and Cromwell nestles amongst toetoe – the giant native tussock grass grows well here – beside the Dart River. An outdoor dining area is shaded by ornamental cherry trees and framed by hundreds of Hydrangea paniculata. While cleaning up the farm, Gerhard and Arkadiusz found steel bands from old wagon wheels buried all around the property and placed some of them in the stream, which is fed by the waterfall and runs alongside the driveway, as a feature.

LEFT It’s hard to believe that the cottages are new – the couple have furnished them in what they describe as “like visiting your grandma” style, using pieces found during their global travels as well as some brought when they moved from Australia; the wallpapers in both cottages are by Hermès and Mulberry Home, and Arkadiusz has collected the Hermès cushions and throws over the past 25 years. RIGHT A good cooker was essential for Arkadiusz, who is a chef – this one is a Falcon; the copper pieces are Arkadiusz’s second most important collectible, found all over the world... and polished regularly by Gerhard.

LEFT “Every good household needs at least one ‘campy’ item which is what we thought when we found this birdhouse in a small boutique store one day – there are no birds nesting in it, but the tūī like to sit on it,” says Gerhard. CENTRE The fun Bastoni wallpaper in the main bedroom depicting antique walking sticks is by Fornasetti, the design of which originated as a silk scarf print from the 1940s; “For the photo shoot, Arkadiusz especially reduced the amount of cushions that he usually puts the bed,” jokes Gerhard; the bed linen is by Ralph Lauren and the throw is by Hermès. RIGHT A collection of bird prints and landscape artworks hang in the main cottage: “We have our favourite antiques store in Auckland, Flotsam & Jetsam; whenever they get something in they think we’ll like they’ll let us know,” says Gerhard.

The couple’s favourite picnic spot on the farm has dramatic views north over the Dart River towards Mt Aspiring National Park and shoot locations for The Lord of the Rings movies; the fire pit is from Outdoor Concepts in Queenstown; the ever-present wind is their biggest challenge these days – it never stops, they say, bringing dust in summer and chilling cold in winter: “I’m responsible for the windows – they stay clean for about two hours,” says Gerhard.

Cloud-shrouded mountains tower over plantings of toetoe, heritage pear trees including ‘Doyenné du Comice’ and ‘Beurre Bosc’, and flowers including various yarrows and black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta).

Q+A with Arkadiusz Durslewicz & Gerhard Sieber

MOST SIGNIFICANT PLANT IN THE GARDEN: Our pride is the oak tree, planted in the late 19th century when this was part of the historic Mt Earnslaw Station. It’s a living connection to the land’s history. (Arkadiusz)

FAVOURITE NEW PLANT: Gooseneck (Lysimachia clethroides) – beautiful for cut flowers and a great combination with other flowers.

(Arkadiusz)

OUR BEST EDIBLE CROP: Blackcurrants and mushrooms – we use the blackcurrants in our wellness products and the mushrooms are just incredible here. (Arkadiusz)

ONE PIECE OF ADVICE: Big is not always better. (Gerhard)

THE THING I’VE LEARNT ABOUT GARDENING OVER THE YEARS IS: To have a long-term vision and patience. Create areas around your garden to sit down and enjoy what you’ve created, live your achievements. And accept that nature has her own plans – sometimes better than yours! (Arkadiusz)

FAVOURITE MOMENTS IN OUR GARDEN: Foggy mornings when you have fog on the ground but can see the mountain peaks while working in the flower fields. And spring, when the long winter days end and life comes rushing back into the garden. (Arkadiusz) OUR DECORATING STYLE IS: Almost what you’d expect visiting your lovely grandmother. Comfortable, lived-in, and filled with things that have stories. (Gerhard)

WORDS Sharon Newey PHOTOGRAPHS Marina Mathews

Read more here: https://www.thepost.co.nz/home-property/361032788/glenorchy-farm-transformed-wasteland-botanics-business