Ōtautahi / Christchurch Daily Photo

Located just south of Oamaru on State Highway One, Totara Estate is the birthplace of New Zealand’s frozen meat export industry. I’ve driven past the entrance to the Estate many times, but today I decided to finally drive in and have a look. I discovered a series of historic buildings and a fascinating story about a problem two countries had and an innovative solution. The year was 1882 and New Zealand couldn’t consume all of it’s sheep meat, meanwhile England couldn’t easily feed a growing population. The estate tells the story of these early agricultural entrepreneurs with a number of displays. There’s even some extremely friendly sheep (they can be hand fed). Well worth the visit and I think there’s something there for everyone.