Every 3 days Mike and Antonia feed the Paua Macrocystis Seaweed and Bull kelp. The cost is reduced to $20 per person if you are already guests in our accommodation. Please select your preferred date and time for the cruise departure, our reservations team will get back to you with confirmation. On arrival you will be greeted by Mike and Antonia Radon, the owners of Arapawa Seafarms, where the unique Blue Pearl or Paua Pearls are grown. As soon as the pearl shell is introduced the paua are placed into a recovery tank and then into a tank on the farm, where they can carry on being nurtured and cared for. Since then they are have worked extremely hard to build together the Paua farm where they now grow beautiful paua pearls, and raise baby paua. The whaling industry has long since been abandoned and has given way to salmon, mussel and oyster farms which we will pass as we travel out to Whekenui Bay, home to the Radon family. They will personally guide you on a tour of the farm, which is not only a place of work but also their home. When you enter the Paua farm the first thing you will notice are the innovative dumping buckets. Your tour is not confirmed until you receive notification from our team. Please note there must be a minimum of 4 pax for this cruise to operate or pay the difference. how do I enable cookies? His unique idea came about when travelling to Hanmer Spring’s thermal hot pools where he noticed an arrangement of fun dumping buckets pouring water over the excited children playing below. Booking Software for Hiking & Trekking Tours by Rezdy.com | Agent login, Booking Software for Hiking & Trekking Tours. Experience Arapawa Island. The cost is $60 per person (private transport only) with a short video and a walk around the farm. Tour includes a sample of cooked Paua as well as home baking. Don’t miss this opportunity to glimpse a unique part of New Zealand marine life and spend time with experts in the paua industry. Tour takes approximately 1 hour. This bucket drop allows the oxygenated water to be pushed past the gills of the Paua while at the same time keeping the food moving around the paua and cleaning the tanks. We grow the Pearls from Wild Paua that we have harvested from the rocky shores of the Cook Strait. Appreciate the tranquillity of Arapawa. From the late 1820’s until the mid 1960’s Arapawa Island was a whaling base in the Marlborough Sounds. One of which was used for Paua pearl experiments. On arrival we will meet and greet you personally at our wharf. We are now producing the highest quality most beautiful Abalone (Paua) Pearls in the world. Venture up to the Radon homestead, where you will be served light refreshments before heading back to Picton. Our destination, approximately one hour by boat, is Whekenui Bay on Arapawa Island, a small island of 75km² (29 square miles) flanked by Queen Charlotte Sound, Tory Channel and the Cook Strait. Overview Leaving Picton on your Paua Pearl Farm Tour in New Zealand, weave your way through the network of waterways and quiet bays of Queen Charlotte Sound in Marlborough, while your welcoming skipper and guide provides informative commentary. The cost is $60 per person, with a short video and a walk around the farm. The baby paua love being fed and will often move about and twist in the tanks to show their excitement, as they smell the seaweed heading their way. For the paua, it’s as if they’re living in the constant currents from Cook Strait. Arapawa Seafarms was originally geared toward the cocktail-size paua meat industry, claiming their … They will personally guide you on a tour of the farm, which is not only a place of work but also their home. At Arapawa, there are four accommodation options Gunyah , School Cottage , Teacher's Hut, and Little Colonsay Beach House , to match your particular needs whether it be for a family holiday, a romantic getaway or a group reunion. They will personally guide you on a tour of the farm, which is not only a place of work but also their home. Buy handcrafted jewellery online and learn more about Arapawa Blue Pearls We are making our way to Whekenui Bay in Arapawa Island about one hour away by boat. Mike spent months trying to work out how to make a wave in the tanks, to recreate the constantly turbulent waters he knew Paua would thrive on. There are currently no items in your cart. When you enter the Paua farm the first thing you will notice are the innovative dumping buckets. Depart Picton and cruise through the Queen Charlotte Sound, a myriad of waterways and tranquil bays whilst enjoying a commentary from your friendly skipper and guide. Discover how the Blue Pearl came to be and see how they are produced. The paua pearls grow quickly in the ideal environment of the Radon’s hatchery and are ready for harvest after three to four years in the farm. The leisurely trip to Arapawa takes appromimately 1.5 hours, and on the return trip travels via Ship Cove with the journey taking approximately 3 hours. Sarah is the stock manager who takes care of … Please enable cookies in your browser to place a booking This waterfront cottage rental is located on Arapawa Island, the northeast point of South Island, on a paua pearl farm right on Whekenui Bay with panoramic views of the Marlborough Sounds and the picturesque rolling hillside. Buy handcrafted jewellery online and learn more about Arapawa Blue Pearls Arapawa Blue Pearls The homestead’s owners and hosts, Mike and Antonia Radon, began their journey as Arapawa Seafarms in 2001. We now have 250 Paua farm tanks with Paua that have Pearls growing in them. Watching the ferries pass by and reminiscing with one of our group about living on this farm in the 60's made it all extra special. On arrival you will be greeted by Mike and Antonia Radon, the owners of Arapawa Seafarms, where the unique Blue Pearl or Paua Pearls are grown. Once you have finished your tour you can view the rare and exclusive pearls in custom made jewellery handmade by local jewelers, the only place in the world where you can buy these unique pearls. Our paua farm tours last approximately ninety minutes. High quality Abalone (Paua) Pearls from the most beautiful shells in the world. High quality Abalone (Paua) Pearls from the most beautiful shells in the world. Their children, having lived their whole lives on Arapawa, are now taking over more of the responsibilities. Make your reservation now. Discover how the Blue Pearl came to be and see how they are produced. But the Radon family are not afraid of this work. Starting with just four tanks in total, today they have over 200. View More. Paua Farm Tours. Discover how the Blue Pearl … You can also explore our farm on a Paua farm tour. Extensive paua farm tours are available upon request. For more information about Arapawa Homestead please visit our other website www.arapawahomestead.co.nz, Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device, choosing a selection results in a full page refresh, press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection. The Radons and Arapawa Seafarers Ltd are the only Paua farm left in New Zealand who undertake this reseeding; many have found it takes a lot of work and dedication to provide the Paua with their fresh water, cool temperatures and continued care, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This is when the magic happened and Mike knew somehow they had to re-create that same dumping water motion in their Paua farm. 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