Alma and Charlie Abrahams and two of their dogs Bella and Milo. Photo / Kate Durie
Alma and Charlie Abrahams and two of their dogs Bella and Milo. Photo / Kate Durie
After a long, rigorous process of relocating to New Zealand during a pandemic, Charlie and Alma Abrahams, their six dogs and a pony have settled nicely into their new home in Mystery Creek. They say living in New Zealand is like being on holiday every day.
Moving from Hertfordshire, England in November 2021 to be closer to their family was tricky enough. But they also didn’t want to leave their furry friends behind.
They are proud owners of a boxer dog named Bella, and the only airline flying brachycephalic dog breeds at the time was Qantas.
During the pandemic, Qantas suddenly stopped flying those breeds, and they were left with no way of getting her into the country.
“In the end, one of the cargo organisers from Singapore Airlines and the head of international racehorse transport spoke together and organised it so that we could have part of the top deck of a cargo plane to put all the dogs on. A vet also accompanied the dogs on the flight, so they travelled in absolute luxury,” says Alma.
Alma Abrahams and her pony Dante that travelled all the way from the United Kingdom. Photo / Kate Durie
The animals were all well worth the effort to get them here, as the Abrahams have award-winning and much-loved pets.
Alma’s horse Just Vincent was chosen for the NZ dressage team at the World Dressage Challenge. Just Vincent was ridden by Alma’s trainer Jody Hartstone, where he won his section, and the New Zealand team placed second.
“Just Vincent is a well-known horse - everybody knows him and everybody loves him,” says Alma.
Also residing on the property are four borzoi dogs.
Gogo Bolshoi Sundance Kid to Jamarqui, also known as Sunny, won Best of Breed Borzoi at Crufts 2017.
You may have seen Charlie and Alma feature on TVNZ’s Country House Hunters: New Zealand, hosted by Matt Gibb. This show focuses on couples looking for their dream homes in regional New Zealand.
They were approached by their real estate agent, who propositioned them in taking part in the series.
“It was quite a lot of fun,” says Charlie.
“The other houses that we went to were lovely homes, but this house had all the boxes ticked.”
Charlie and Alma's property. Photo / Bayleys Real Estate
A spooky thing Alma found was that Charlie used to study at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, and was born in a town called Royal Leamington Spa.
“Now, we are right near Leamington and Cambridge,” jokes Alma.
The house that they now own was previously owned by the McVean family. Jeff McVean was the coach of the New Zealand Olympic Show Jumping team. His daughter, Katie Laurie, competed for New Zealand in show jumping at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
“When I have met people, just in casual conversations, and I mention my address, they always ask if it is the McVean house,” says Charlie.
“It is so strange - when I am at horse events, people come up and say to me, ‘Oh, you have got the McVeans’ place’. We can also say to tradesmen, the farrier or the vets - basically, anything to do with horses - we say ‘the McVeans’ place’ and they know exactly where to go,” adds Alma.
Alma says that this property was a lot of land to take on compared with what they were used to in the UK, where they had an acre of land and their horses stayed in a stable elsewhere.
“I had never had to take care of land before because that was all taken care of. Now, I have 10 acres and massive stables. It felt really daunting and too big, but we got used to it,” says Alma.
“We bought equipment we never thought we’d have, like tractors,” adds Charlie.
Some renovations Charlie and Alma have done to the property include enlarging the deck, adding sleepouts near the stables, renovating the barn and adding new stables, which were handmade and manufactured in New Zealand by NZ Equine Solutions.
They are also in the midst of sorting out their arena, which was originally designed for show jumpers. However, the ground is too hard for dressage horses like Just Vincent.
Alma Abrahams and her award winning horse 'Just Vincent'. Photo / Kate Durie
They also tidied up their creek and pond, which was overgrown. The couple applied to the Department of Conservation in order to get grass carp to help with weed control in their pond.
Since moving, the couple decided to start up a business, Jamarqui Barn Cottages, which is an Airbnb for both humans and horses. It is perfect for those travelling for horse events in and around the area. Horse owners have the option of either staying in their trucks or in one of the two cottages.
The newly renovated cottages are also available to anyone looking for a place to stay.
The Airbnb has also hosted horses while their owners go on holidays, or when a horse needs a place to stay through the SPCA. They have also had horse guests who need a paddock close to the Waikato vets.
“Yes, we have this business to run, but Alma enjoys the work that she does with horses, so it is not really like work,” says Charlie.
Charlie says that they absolutely love the Waikato lifestyle.
“Alma is connected to the equestrian folks, and due to the equestrian culture in this area, we were really drawn to the area. I am a trout fisherman, and there are a decent amount of places for me to go. I am a keen golfer too, and I found when we bought the property, Tieke Golf Estate had recently opened, which I joined immediately.
“I have never been so close to a golf course - I can get there in five minutes. It’s just wonderful.”
Their sons and grandchildren love to visit the property, and with Hamilton Airport being so close, it’s easy for their family to visit.
Alma says they were welcomed into the community with open arms and continue to enjoy the casualness that comes with Kiwi life.
“In the UK, it’s all very formal, and it almost feels like you have to make appointments to visit or call people. However, within our first week here, people would just pop around with flowers or a bottle of wine. It was just great,” says Alma.
After a year in the Waikato, Charlie and Alma are excited to continue to live their holiday lifestyle.
