In February, Cyclone Gabrielle caused the Ngaruroro River in the eastern North Island to burst its banks. Consequently, it smashed through Riverside Cherries’ 10-hectare apple orchard, also affecting 7 hectares of cherry trees. The Twyford business lost all the apple trees and half a hectare of cherries.
Owner Jerf van Beek: “We were completely smashed. What we lost, we replanted in young trees, then we had to start the big job of repairing our cages. They were completely washed away and broken, so that’s seven hectares of netting, so it was quite a job. Today, we’re still busy doing the final closure of those cages, because once you get a bit of color on cherries, the birds just go absolutely nuts.”
The crop would probably be half the size of last year’s harvest, but cherries should be available by early December, van Beek said. “Fortunately we have got a nice crop hanging there. It’s not as big, the cyclone has had an effect... but we’ve got a crop.”
New Zealand Apples and Pears’ latest analysis of the damage showed 47 per cent of Hawke’s Bay apple orchards were impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Source: nzherald.co.nz