Brian and Christine Angliss bought a small farm near Whangarei with the intention of finding peace and tranquillity.

Christine sharing a moment of mutual adoration. Photo Brian Angliss.

Having been living on one of the most crowded islands in the Channel Islands they had come to the conclusion that “where there are people there are problems.”

But 70 acres of Northland bush and paddock has very different requirements to a modest almost-English garden. The farm had been a beef-fattening unit, and they kept the stock already on site.

But although Christine had kept and ridden horses all her life, they were both very much novices in keeping farm type animals.

As Brian put it, “I had to fly back to Guernsey to look up ‘heifer’ and ‘steer’ in a dictionary – I thought a cow was a cow.

“As for ‘drenching’, I thought what the hell is the point of chucking a bucket of water over them?”

While building the home of their dreams, Brian and Christine realised that they would love to have some animals, but also animals that “would do a job”.

Some of the land is too steep for machinery, but as Brian pointed out it cannot be left alone.

“It has to be mowed or grazed, and we’ve found the combination of cattle and llamas does an excellent job in keeping the weeds and grass down.”

The Angliss’ bought four alpacas when they first started, but were quite shocked to lose one to a rogue dog recently.

Brian then came across some llamas further north and “fell for them”.

Since then the family has been expanded by a further three guanacos – the original wild form of the llama.

“The guanaco tend to be more skittish, given their semi-wild status, whereas the llamas are very placid.

Probably the first question people ask us at shows is “do they spit?”.

Well mine have never ever spat at me,” Christine stated, “only at each other.” “It only happens when food is around too,” Brian added.

Alpacas are becoming common in New Zealand due to the growing demand for their fibre.

But Christine describes herself as an active person, and prefers her llama because they can carry a load, picnic or camping equipment, for long walks and treks.

“I think a lot of non-horsey people think of buying either of them, but find the llamas quite intimidating because of their size.

“They think of the alpaca as being small and cuddly, whereas they can be quite stand-offish, but llamas are actually very gentle animals.

“You can walk with alpaca, but they don’t carry loads and we regularly take our animals out in a trailer and walk back along the estuary or fields. Ours don’t swim but they do like water.”

Initially Brian and Christine were a little nervous of showing their animals, but the success they had at a local show assuaged their fears.

“Children massed round them, and one little girl got far too close for comfort, but in fact Yogi didn’t stir when he almost had his tail pulled!

“I do trust him now in that situation and he is a very good natured animal.”

The experience of the Angliss’ with their camelids has been very positive.

“They really are pretty trouble and disease free. There is a danger of facial eczema in late summer, but we don’t graze right down to the ground and we keep them on feed pellets with added zinc, for about three months.

“We do believe in crossing over the grazing, so all our paddocks will have had the beef cattle over them first, then the six Highlanders – which are very good at thrashing down the Kikuyu – and finally the camelids.

“Worms and general parasites are well under control, and of course they don’t spread their droppings much as they always use middens. We wanted pleasure from our animals, not too much hassle, and that is what we have.

“They really are a joy to own and have around.”