Class act:

The teacher who followed his farming dream.

Running three businesses in three different locations in the King Country keeps Richard and Bridget Neeson busy.

There’s their beef and sheep farm on the banks of the Whanganui River near Taumarunui and then just four kilometres up the road is their kiwifruit orchard.

But an hour away at Raurimu is a different kind of venture all together – a ski lodge.

For a keen skier like Richard, owning a ski lodge combines the best of both worlds.

“I’m pretty keen on skiing so it’s quite good,” he says. “I can do the odd day up the mountain when I’m at the lodge.”

The couple started their agricultural businesses with little experience but a passion for the land.

Richard was a school teacher when he and Bridget decided to pursue their dream of farm ownership 23 years ago. “Although I went teaching to start with,” he says, “it was more of a backstop.”

The Neesons have a big workload to share but each family member has their own speciality.

“Bridget takes care of the orchard, that’s her realm,” says Neeson, while he oversees Slalom Lodge.

Running a hospitality business in a pandemic has been challenging but the Neesons are relieved to see the lodge bouncing back.

“Obviously with Covid-19 we were on negative income because we’ve got costs. But it’s picking up now and people are coming out more with the restaurant and the bar.”

The lodge’s location means that it can cater to tourists in winter and summer. In the cooler months, snow-lovers flock to the ski fields and when the weather warms up, the lodge is a popular spot for trampers negotiating the Tongariro Crossing.

“That’s more come of late,” says Neeson. “The last 20 years it was more of just a winter destination – Ruapehu. But now the Crossing’s in there and it’s a really good draw for people.”