The Alpaca Place, New Zealand, was founded in 2001 and is operated by sisters Liz Barnes and Cheryl Hughson, breeding alpacas under the prefixes NZ Eikon (Liz), and Huari (Cheryl). Although we have a rural background, we had never personally farmed livestock. We chose to farm alpacas when we discovered these animals are highly intelligent, gentle and manageable. They have proven easy for us to handle and train.

The Alpaca Place is located in the beautiful Rangitumau Valley, near Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand, in the lower half of the North Island, a part of the Greater Wellington region. (see Our Location)

Starting with a “three in one” package (a pregnant female with a cria at foot) and adding a further pregnant female five months later, within a year of our original purchases we had 5 alpacas, two of which were already pregnant again and a third due for mating. Just 5 years later, our herd numbered excess of 30! And now we have many more! We have proven that starting small on a limited budget is no barrier to success, and we are eager to share our successful methods with others.

We have built a reputable alpaca stud which supplies the local and international market with alpacas priced to suit every purse. Our target is to breed easy to handle alpacas with outstanding conformation and fleece. From Day 1, we  instituted a training programme to ensure our alpacas are halter-trained and easily managed, making them dream animals for those inexperienced in farming, or for those whose small stature and and limited strength makes farming of traditional animals difficult. Because alpacas are relatively easy breeders people with larger blocks of land can quickly increase the size of their herd to their optimum number.

The Alpaca Place specializes in Huacaya alpacas.  From the beginning, we are aimed for excellence, and have proven our breeding success with many first placings and Championships awarded in the show ring. We are proud to  be able to offer quality alpacas for sale, along with those of a sufficient standard to enable you to quickly breed quality alpacas. At whatever level you wish to enter the alpaca industry, we can help – contact us today to find out what we will do for you.