Aston Road Villa - Boutique Bed & Breakfast

08/08/2026

Wow the people we meet … we have been hosting Gregor and Gabbi from Germany who were demonstrating floral art
at the NZ Professional Florists Association conference held at Ljndale, Paraparaumu.

Also fortunate to have attended a session today with Flo's Flowersnz - amazing presentation and gorgeous art work

23/07/2026

Aston Road Villa is continuing our sustainability journey with establishing a food forest that provides food for our Bed & Breakfast and our local community. It’s been a summer of building our retaining walls and we’re pleased that we now have fruit trees and vegetables planted that will provide for us, and our guests over the spring and summer. It’s exciting to manage our food supply chain in a sustainable way and ensuring that we’re working with nature to get the best outcomes.

21/07/2026

July is Plastic Free Month which we like to support.
We also like to support NZ businesses.

We purchased some pumpkin seeds from Summer Hill near Whanganui they also featured on Country Calender recently.

Look at the amazing packaging- so good and the pumpkin seeds are perfect for our home made granola we make for guests.
Summer Hill Seeds
Plastic Free July

19/07/2026

What’s Wren been up to?

She has been outside following Dean around the house while he was cleaning our concrete paving areas.

Getting ready for some guests arriving soon.

12/07/2026

Aston Road Villa - Boutique Bed & Breakfast likes to explore new places and revisit amazing places in New Zealand. This weekend we were lucky enough to visit Havelock North in the Hawkes Bay region. It was a stunning winters day and on an explore drive we found this amazing small herd of Highland Cattle at Te Mata Estate. Hard not to stop and be impressed by these amazing animals. Worth the brief stop.

11/07/2026

We are long time members of the Bed and Breakfast Association New Zealand.

Louise is a consultant for assessing our quality assurance programme - which ensures our properties have quality standards - covering everything from guest comfort and cleanliness to service and safety.

Today had the pleasure of visiting Rayma and Phillip at Cobden Gardens Bed and Breakfast in Napier. Very experienced b&b owners. They have a beautiful 1880s villa with a beautiful garden.

Cobden Garden Homestay

03/07/2026

We love Jeynars products for our guests.

Step into our workroom here at Jeymar Soap & Body and you’ll be greeted by the uplifting, zesty aroma of May Chang—a key ingredient of our Citrus toiletries. Let me introduce you to this delightful oil and why we’re always reaching for it.

May Chang, also known as Litsea Cubeba (a name as intriguing as the oil itself!), is extracted from a vibrant tree native to Asia.

This evergreen tree, growing up to 8 meters tall, produces small peppercorn-like fruits bursting with a fresh, lemony essential oil. Beyond its aroma, different parts of the plant have been treasured for centuries in traditional medicine.

May Chang’s scent makes it a favourite in soaps and perfumes, while its tangy notes even add flair to culinary creations. Behind the scenes, it’s also a valuable ingredient in the production of vitamin A. The oily, dried fruits are also used in foods, adding a pleasant, spicy, lemony flavour to meat and cold vegetable dishes.

Many people turn to May Chang for its mood-brightening magic—it’s said to lift spirits and ease tension.

No wonder this oil is a workroom favourite!

01/07/2026

has a new surprise arrival……….. first lamb of the season arrived this morning 1 July 2026. He’s a strong wee lad and well looked after by his mother. Our sheep have been excellent mums over the past few years. They make sure that they are sheltered and stay warm in the cooler weather. Today was sunny and warm - almost spring like. Lambs, daffodils and lots of birds makes it feel like it’s spring.

30/06/2026

First it was a fancy cow, then friendly sheep, and today it’s the friendly flock of chickens here at . It’s fun having a collection of animals to look after particularly when they’re as friendly as they are. Once a month we give our chickens some protein to keep them happy and healthy. They repay us with beautifully fresh eggs for most of the year. They are all free range and incredibly happy hens (and 2 roosters). Fun times at the farm.

29/06/2026

From fancy cows to friendly sheep. We finally arrived home from the road trip to a chorus of sheep who were keen to see us arrive home. After a delayed return it was nice to be back home and check in on our animals. We are thankful that we have an amazing community around us who are happy to step in and check in on our sheep and other animals and look after our property. Friends and community are important.