Beekeeping on Muzzle Station
Working New Zealand’s remote high-country station comes with its difficulties but also its perks, the rugged isolation means logistics can be difficult but there is also peace in the serene landscape.
MEET THE TEAM
Dave Murphy
Beekeeper
Dave has been beekeeping in the region for over a decade and is proud to be applying his trade on the Muzzle Station. There is no other place that he would rather be working than on New Zealand most remote high-country station.
Sparkles
Assistant to the Beekeeper
New to the world of bees and honey, Sparkles the Jack Russel plays a key part in the beekeeping system. Providing moral support and a keen eye for detail, Sparkles can spot an angry hive a mile away and will do all in her power to avoid such bees.
“Beekeeping is an art and a science combined - there is always something new to learn when you are open to it - no matter how long you have been keeping bees”
Dave Murphy
Beekeeper
A River runs through it …. the Muzzle Station
Waiau Toa
Clarence River
On its journey from the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean the Waiau Toa / Clarence river passes through the Muzzle Station. Hives are located on both sides of the river and must be crossed throughout the season to tend hives and to harvest honey.
Inland Kaikoura Range
Marlborough
The western edge of the station is defined by the inland Kaikoura Range including Mt Alarm and Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku the highest peaks in the upper South Island.
Seaward Kaikouras
Canterbury
The eastern side of the station lies on the slopes of the Seaward Kaikoura Mountain Range, providing a unique perspective of mountains often viewed from Kaikoura
