The Blom Family: Dave, Sonja, Linike and Charel (CD)
Sam Maritz (Farm Manager), Xiaoxue and the team joined the Cornerstone family and in their very friendly fashion, welcome visitors for educational alpaca farm tours and assist in the alpaca shop.
All of them are alpaca lovers and they love to share their passion with visitors! |
About UsCornerstone Alpacas is a family farm and kiwi owned and operated. Owners, Dave and Sonja Blom, have been in alpaca farming since 2006 and are still enjoying every moment of it! They regularly participate in alpaca shows and are excited to have experienced numerous success. They continue to work on improving and upgrading their stud by regularly adding new genetics in quality alpacas. They welcome visitors to their farm for Alpaca Farm Tours and also run an alpaca farm shop where quality alpaca products are sold in the shop and online.
Granero ("barn" in Spanish) is our stunning venue. It is a new barn to accommodate large groups for Farm Tours and is available to hire for functions & weddings! We also use Granero for special events hosted on the farm. Cornerstone Kitchen is our very unique cafe with field garden seating and a view on the paddocks. Dave has a lively interest, knowledge and experience in the field of genetics. Being a fulltime dentist (Hamilton Dental Centre) in the Health Science field, and formerly a cattle stud farmer, gives him the knowledge and experience within the genetics. He is passionate about building a strong genetic bloodline for Cornerstone Alpaca Stud. You'll regularly see him at local alpaca shows. Dave was President of the North Island Alpaca Association Committee from 2016 - 2018. Sonja discovered the textile art of Felting in 2010. Always an artist by heart and having a former career in music teaching and lecturing in Educational Psychology, she now manages the shop & alpaca tours. As an artist experimenting, she started by using their own fabulous alpaca fibre, and has developed in using different felting techniques. She has her own exclusive designer award winning alpaca accessories range, Alpaca Bejeweled, which is also sold exclusively in the farm shop. Many of her designer scarves are now worn by ladies all over the world. She is passionate about the alpacas and their exquisite fibre! Some of her paintings are also on display in the shop and she is responsible for the design of all the spaces. 
Christo Snyman (Cafe Manager) - "Gras" as we know him - and his team are running the Kitchen with energy and positivity, and are responsible for the delicious meals served with friendliness. The food served are made from scratch using only the best ingredients locally sourced, because "local is lekker!"
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Who We Are |
Today we are the proud owners of around 60 alpacas. Our breeding program focuses on fineness, denseness, weight and lustre of the fleeces.
We carefully select our sires and dams for continuous improvement. We've purchased high quality Peruvian and Chilean huacaya stud males, imported champion Australian and U.S.A. bloodlines, and are developing their own pedigree herd sires - Cornerstone Alpacas. Other sires are sourced from outside our stud to ensure we have a diverse genetic pool. |
Our History |
Dave and Sonja Blom owned a farm in South Africa, breeding Nguni African stud cattle for 5 years and immigrated to New Zealand in February 2005. They bought a 10acre farm in the North Island, Otonga Valley, (15 minutes from Raglan) and were looking for the proper "small" animals in keep with their agricultural roots. Alpacas caught their attention on Field Days 2005 and they fell in love with these amazing animals! Within 6 months they purchased their first 4 breeding females and a cria and started their alpaca stud in 2006.
Over the next few years they visited alpaca breeders, attended seminars, and went to alpaca shows, all the while trying to expand their knowledge. The learning never stops! The family moved to Gordonton in 2008 and after noticing the public interest in seeing, feeding and learning about alpacas, they informally introduced farm tours when people asked. They started the Alpaca Shop and Farm Tours in the little existing alpaca shed in 2014. Soon running out of space, they renovated the existing large barn and moved the shop/tours to the larger space in 2016. Granero (Barn in Spanish) was constructed in 2018 to accommodate large groups, but is also available for functions and weddings. The vision for 2021 is now up and running! Cornerstone Kitchen is our new funky onsite licensed cafe! We are excited about the enthusiasm and passion for alpacas from our staff and visitors alike! We love for our visitors to create beautiful memories in our unique setting and leave feeling happier than when they arrived! |