Banks Peninsula llama breeder Robyn Robinson, who won supreme champion suri llama for the second year in a row at the Canterbury A&P Show earlier this month, said they were fun to have around. ''We just love them.
They are easy to handle and they are a living work of art. We can look at them out the window whenever we like and they have these amazing feet with two toes and a soft foot so they can come into the house.
''We specialise in the suris because the suri fibre looks good and you can get something out of it. But we principally farm them for their personality. They are pets with personalities.''
This year 18-month-old llama Lookout Morning Glory claimed top honours, following in the footsteps of llama Lookout Sara, which won supreme champion last year.
Mrs Robinson said she entered 10 llamas in the show and had about 40 breeding females on the 10ha Governors Bay property she owns with husband Mike.
The Robinsons run a Christchurch business, Urban Rooms, renting out long-term tourist accommodation and regularly host tourists to visit the llamas.
''They are very popular with the tourists and we get people coming out from town to see them. The llamas are such a drawcard.''