The Caves at Seafield & Ohiti
Brothers Wes and Sam Cave come from a long line of farmers and continue the family tradition near Napier and Hastings with Wes’s wife Franzi and daughter Ellie and Sam’s wife Angela.
They run sheep and cattle on several properties, including land owned by Wes and Franzi and leased family land, some of which has been owned by their family for nearly 100 years.
A favorite lamb recipe is Greek style diced lamb; slow roasted with feta cheese, garlic, potatoes and tomatoes. This works with any cut of lamb but is particularly tasty with shanks or lamb shoulder.
Seafield and Ohiti
We call the main blocks ‘Seafield’ and ‘Ohiti’. The total area farmed is around 520Ha with the majority being summer dry medium hill country and the balance easier hill country and coastal flats. Approximately 1100 ewes and 350 hoggets are lambed each year and 130 Cows and heifers are calved. All progeny are finished on farm. Trading stock are purchased and fattened throughout the year with the numbers dictated by pasture growth through the seasons.
Several paddocks were underwater prior to a large earthquake in 1931 which uplifted the land out of the sea. Soils are predominantly clay based with alluvial silt soils on the flats.
Animal health and welfare are important to the Caves as well as continuing the extensive environmental work done by past generations. Several wetlands and native plantings on the farm provide important habitat for native birds including the endangered Australiasian Bittern.