Cape Campbell, Marlborough, South Island, NZ
CAPE Strong Wool Collection
Brass Monkeys™ CAPE collection offers a selection of heavy weight garments crafted from our innovative dual-layer fabric. Each piece features a durable outer layer made from NZ grown strong wool, complemented by a merino wool inner layer for softness and comfort.
Cape Campbell Farm
Rob and Sally Peter farm this unique coastal property, they are passionate about their land and animals, raising sheep that produce high quality wool which is crafted into exceptional garments.
The Peter family have a long history of breeding sheep and have an expertise in this area. They take huge pride in the fibre they produce from composite type sheep, developed from the Corriedale, Poll Dorset and Texel. They are a strong-minded large sheep with an ability to withstand the sometimes-harsh environment.
The Cape normally runs about 3600 sheep. They thrive on the natural pastures overlooking 10km of coastline, and a huge part of the Cape Campbell Farm policy is to farm sustainably with very little chemical inputs to enhance and protect the biodiversity within the property and the adjacent coastline.
Cape Campbell Environment
Rob and Sally Peter along with their three sons continue to farm The Cape encountering very dry years where destocking takes place to protect the fragile soil structure and grazing sheep and cattle on the windswept salt laden hills. Most of the soils are papa based with a limestone ridgeline running down to Mussel Point at the western boundary of the farm.
The Cape does hold NZ’s lowest rainfall figures over 3 months, very drought prone and wind is a norm. Stock water is provided by dams, rainwater is the only source.
The 2016 quake left the coastline uplifted and exposed, damaged fences, boundaries, involving slips, especially along the cliff faces that historically have never been fenced. Solar fencing for over 8km has been a successful project. Buildings both on the Cape and their other properties are still being repaired.
Native plantings have and are taking place within protected QEII covenants and Rob and Sally Peter are founding members of the East Coast Protection Group bought about to make the public aware of the unique fauna and flora that makes its home along the wild eastern coastline rich in history.
History of Cape Campbell Farm
Cape Campbell Farm was originally part of the historic Flaxbourne Station which was the first large scale sheep station in the South Island, founded in 1846.
In 1912, the Cape Block was auctioned and bought by F.H. Rutland a tough pioneering man. The Rutland Family farmed the Cape for 47 years. During this time rabbits decimated the land and scrub grew thick, droughts came and went, and farming wasn’t easy. Next door was the property known as the Freeth Estate, which ran down the sweet limestone valley toward Clifford Bay.
In 1973 John Peter bought the original Rutland land and in 1988 purchased then Freeth property. Putting them together as Cape Campbell Farm, which totals 1300 hectares (3300 acres) following the ridgelines onto the Cape Peninsular where the Historic Cape Campbell Lighthouse stands guard.
During the 70s and 80s John cleared the scrub, top-dressed, and conservatively grazed the land to produce the tussock covered hills you see today. Owning the historic lighthouse buildings provide the Peters’ with a maintenance job and to offset this cost they rent out the baches and have done for over 36 years. Also, within this time they set up a private walkway which ran for some 10 years involving a neighbouring property, but this has now run its course. Being such an iconic property, the coastline is in high demand for visitors both scientific and recreational, this poses a juggling act for the owners.
