Limestone Hills

Welcome to Limestone Hills, a small farm in the Waipara Valley, an hour’s drive North of Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand, where Gareth and Camille Renowden grow four kinds of gourmet truffles, and pinot noir and syrah grapes. Limestone Hills is the only truffière in New Zealand producing four species of truffle: the prestigious Perigord black truffle, the delicious bianchetto white truffle, the beautiful Burgundy truffle, and the winter black truffle. Our wines are only produced in tiny quantities from our 1,200 vine vineyard, but the unique terroir means they are earning a reputation in a valley noted for its fine wines.

Limestone Hills is the only truffière (truffle plantation) in New Zealand successfully growing four prime species of truffle — the Périgord black truffle, Tuber melanosporum, the bianchetto white truffle, Tuber borchii, the Burgundy truffle, Tuber aestivum/uncinatum, and the winter black truffle, Tuber brumale. Our limestone-rich soils and warm site make us uniquely suited to truffle production. We planted our first trees, 200 seedling oaks and hazels infected with the Périgord black truffle in 1997, and harvested our first black truffles in 2006. We were amongst the first properties to plant trees infected with bianchetto and Burgundy truffles in the early 2000s, and began production of both in autumn 2012. To date, we are the only truffière producing commercial quantities of Burgundy truffles.

During the truffle season we can organise truffle hunts and truffière tours with Rosie the truffle machine. Guests staying at The Shearer’s Cottage can have a complimentary truffle hunt or tour, but Gareth is also happy to organise tours and truffle hunts for visitors.