Two emus patrol Danielle Lane’s paddocks in the Waikerikeri Valley, towering over the chickens that like to free range under the trees and the toddlers, trailing behind their mother. 

Life is busy on the 11-acre block just outside Alexandra - home to 300 laying hens, a strawberry patch nearly ready for its first pick-your-own season, rows of freshly planted Christmas trees, and a soon-to-be one year old and three year old.

For Danielle, it’s about building a business and creating the kind of childhood for her kids she remembers from her own upbringing.

A chunk of her early years were lived on a lifestyle block in Wainui, just north of Auckland.

“We went to a rural school and did ag days, hatched chicks and bottle-fed lambs,” she said. 

“It was just an awesome, awesome childhood, and I always wanted that for my kids as well.”

Her path to Central Otago was far from direct. She was born on the island of Guernsey, and her parents moved to New Zealand when she was a baby, seeking a fresh start. 

Danielle learned to snowboard at Snowplanet in Auckland, which led to a season in Wānaka straight after high school. 

That first taste of Central Otago set her off “chasing winters” across Canada, America and Australia until she realised she loved the summers here even more.

Danielle completed a teaching degree by distance through Canterbury University while living in Wānaka.

An emu was always on Danielle’s wishlist - and now she has two. Image: Supplied

A mountain bike race introduced her to Cam, a born-and-bred Central Otago local, and eventually the couple settled in Alexandra. 

Danielle taught at Goldfields and Omakau schools - some readers will know her as “Miss Lane” - before turning her attention to raising children and chickens.

The poultry business began almost accidentally, when Danielle hatched chicks in her classroom. 

Parents clamoured to take the birds home, and she soon realised there was strong demand for quality hens and eggs. 

“Lots of people wanted chickens, but no one was really doing them locally,” she said.

The enterprise quickly grew, and now she runs 300 commercial layers, selling free-range eggs to cafes, families and at the farm gate, alongside pullets for backyard chicken-keepers. 

Last year, her eggs picked up recognition at the New Zealand Food Producer Awards.

The chickens are just the start. This summer, families will be invited to pick their own strawberries on at Tree Range Farm.

Danielle admits she’s never successfully grown strawberries before, but saw the idea take off elsewhere and wanted to try it here. 

“It felt like there was a gap for young families looking for things to do,” she said.

This week, she and Cam have also planted “a whole bunch of Christmas trees”, which will mature into another pick-your-own venture in three or four years. 

Bees, geese, ducks, sheep - and, of course, those two emus - round out the menagerie.

Running it all is a family affair. With Cam busy managing his own business, Danielle juggles farm work with caring for their children, Rylee (almost one) and Cooper (three). 

“It’s wild. We’ve got no staff,” she said.

“If I’m collecting eggs and boxing them up, or pruning trees, or planting strawberries - whatever the chores are - the kids are with me, in a backpack, in a trolley, in a pram, crawling around, digging their own holes. 

“You just have to make it work. It feels really busy at times, but their way of play is my chores.”

The brand she’s building reflects her teaching background. She has called the business Tree Range, a play on free range that also signals her philosophy of raising animals and children in natural surroundings. 

Danielle is developing education programmes too, from glass-sided bee hives she can take into classrooms, to the idea of Tree Range Kids, a nature-based childcare programme she might launch one day.

Despite having grown up near Auckland’s beaches, Danielle doesn’t miss life in the city. 

“I love everything that Central Otago has to offer - the distinct seasons, the skiing and snowboarding and mountain biking scenes, the beautiful lakes and mountains,” she said.

“It feels like it’s got everything you need.”

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