The Alpaca Place

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). 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.

Cheryl Liz

The Alpaca Place is located in the beautiful Rangitumau Valley, near Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand, in the lower half of the North Island. (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! 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.

Our goal is to build a reputable alpaca stud to supply the local and international market with alpacas priced to suit every purse. Our target is to breed personable animals with outstanding conformation and fleece. We have 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 as there is an existing international market already for the well-known fleece from this type of alpaca and we are aiming for excellence in one breed rather than achieve moderate success by diversifying into other varieties. (See Our Alpacas)