Our on farm workshops

At KoruKai Herb Farm we offer workshops that reconnect you to your primal being and teach you how to grow your own, organic produce, filled with nutrition and love. We help you to create wholesome, nourishing food and bring back health and wellbeing to the home garden and kitchen where it belongs.
"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." Hippocrates
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Workshop Topics

Foraging: wild edible and medicinal plants

Fermentation, microbiome and gut health

Medicinal herbs for winter wellbeing

Organic gardening with the soil food web

Thermal compost making, bokashi composting and worm farming

Traditional sourdough bread making

Natural cheese making with wild cultures

Make your own natural cleaning products

 

We also welcome group bookings. Please contact us to discuss topics and dates.

Workshop facilitator Cornelia Holten

Cornelia is an herbalist and slow food educator with a passion for simple living, DIY, herbs and self-sufficiency. A certificate in Organic Horticulture, the Soil Food Web, an Apprenticeship in Herbal Medicine and living on a farm in Pigeon Bay equip her with a lot of knowledge and experience with growing food and living a healthy life. She is teaching workshops on sustainable food systems, whole foods, fermentation, primal diets and organic gardening. A thirst for knowledge and a passion for new scientific studies keep her well informed on those topics.

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Click here for bookings and details on upcoming events at KoruKai Herb Farm.
This is what workshop participants say about their time at KoruKai Herb Farm
"If you want to turn back time and learn to eat without the supermarket fast forward to meeting up with Cornelia and Kai at their workshops. Best day in a beautiful location. Fulfilling many needs, nutrition, spirituality, knowledge and friendship. Came away a better person."
"The day was inspiring and a lot of fun, with many good things to learn about making healthy food - everything starting with creating good soil to ways to prepare living and nutritious fermented food! Really enjoyed meeting Cornelia and her family and the other workshop participants - what an interesting bunch of people! The lunch was truly wonderful too."
"A clear, concise and well-constructed course clearly demonstrating the Art of Cheese-making. The course was structured to suit both the novice and those who may have been looking to expand on their own knowledge. The use of a home environment for teaching purposes clearly demonstrated what can be achieved within the students own home kitchen by simply following the instructions supplied in your excellent take-home handout. This was an informative well-delivered course run in a very relaxed and inclusive environment giving more than value for money. The communal lunch was a treat for the taste buds."
"Thank you for a wonderful day yesterday. We really enjoyed your workshop and your lovely home and surroundings. Your introduction and telling us your personal background got me very enthusiastic. You and your family are heroes. The more people that attend this workshop or hear your message the better. It would be a dream for me to be able to provide all the vegetables for my family, but you and this workshop showed me it is possible. I think your coverage was spot on, you made room for questions but did not get too distracted from the time. I’m sure your notes will be my source of knowledge- I think I will need to get them laminated. Thank you for being a guiding figure; we need thousands of people like you so we can turn the way food is produced and the way we look at sustainability around."

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Location: KoruKai Herb Farm is located in Pigeon Bay on Banks Peninsula, 1 hour drive from Halswell, Christchurch.

Access to the farm: The last kilometres to the farm are unsealed, but driveable with all cars. Parking is at the neighbouring farm right above KoruKai. The herb farm itself is terraced and sloped. There is no wheelchair access, but we have had people here with crutches and in their 80s and 90s. Sturdy footwear and comfortable clothes is best for workshops and farm tours.

Carpooling: A week before a workshop you will get detailed directions to the farm via email. A list of participants with email address and approximate location is also sent to you. You are able to contact people near you to arrange carpooling. Carpooling from Chch is generally not a problem and Halswell offers a great place to meet before heading out to the Peninsula.

Accommodation: There are a few B&B options directly in Pigeon Bay, 5 minutes by car from the farm. We recommend "The Red House", "The Mud House" and "Retro Hut". They are all available on Air B&B. There are also higher priced options available like "The Point" or "Pigeon Bay Lovers Paradise" just around the corner from KoruKai Herb Farm. Pigeon Bay also has a campground next to the rocky beach. It is located on Wharf Road with basic amenities (toilet, water) and no showers.

Akaroa is a 30-minute drive from the farm. It is a great option for a weekend away. This wee French inspired seaside town is great to explore on foot with lots of restaurant options and accommodation to suit every budget including a campground.

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