Franklin Farm Family Day Out

What I thought was just going to be a casual Saturday visit — maybe 2 hours max — turned into a whole-day adventure… and a bit more expensive than expected 😅

We’ve been to Franklin Farm about two years ago, back when it was mainly the sunflower farm. You pay, you pick your own sunflowers, take photos, and that was it. It was simple, lovely, and fairly cheap.

This time though? They’ve expanded a LOT.

What’s new (and included)

Franklin Farm now has so many things for kids and families:

• Sunflower farm 🌻

• Butterfly house 🦋

• Dahlias garden 🌸

• Pat a bunny 🐰

• Farm animals & pat the goats 🐐

• Pick your own corn 🌽

• Bouncy castles

• Maize maze

There were also extra activities you can pay for, like air‑dried clay and some craft bits.

There are food trucks too. I used to think food trucks were cheaper than restaurants… but not anymore 😬 They’re kind of pricey now.

Entrance fee shock 😳

I won’t lie — I was a bit shocked when we paid $65 entrance fee for 2 adults and a 4‑year‑old. But we were already there, so might as well enjoy everything, right?

And honestly… it was quite nice.

Our favourite parts

The butterfly house was my favourite. I got to see at least four butterflies hatching — so beautiful and special. I loved looking at the monarch butterflies and the tiny caterpillars too. Very magical.

The dahlias were also stunning — full bloom, so many colours. Very pretty and great for photos.

The maize maze was cute but also reminded me of old horror movies I used to watch 😂 Still fun though, especially with a 4‑year‑old… and a husband who decided to tease me in the middle of it 🙃

The pick‑your‑own corn didn’t look as nice this time. Maybe we went at the tail end of the season? We visited mid‑January, so that could be why.

Sunflowers, sunshine & farm chats

It was cloudy in the morning but got sunny in the afternoon — sunscreen is a must.

The walk to the sunflower farm is about 5 minutes along the road, manageable even with preschoolers. They’ve made it more beautiful and added a little farm area on the side, which was very cute.

We even had a small chat with the owner about their escapee goat 🐐😂

Climbing the ladder at the sunflower farm gave us a breathtaking view of the fields — so beautiful. Lots of photo opportunities, but it was getting really hot by then.

We picked some sunflowers that were just about to bloom — 4 for $10, which I think is the same price as two years ago. Love that.

Before heading into the sunflower area, we had a little picnic near the food trucks. We actually brought our own lunch — very good idea and definitely helped save some money.

Final thoughts

Overall, it was a really sweet day.

But for us, it’s not really a casual Saturday thing anymore. You do need to spend some money, so it feels more like a treat or special outing.

Still, it was lovely, and we ended the day with ice cream at Juicy in Kumeu — which is always amazing 🍦

Would I go again? Yes — just not thinking it’s a quick, cheap visit 😄