Cherries are to Christmas what chocolate is to Easter. As is Kiwi tradition, thousands of New Zealanders will have cherries grace their table over the festive season, most of which are grown by local, dedicated growers in the South.
For those wanting a real taste experience of this splendid fruit, there are several orchards in Central Otago that specialise in ‘Pick Your Own,’ cherries – something that Trip Advisor rates as #2 of 45 ‘Things to Do’ around Cromwell.
Cheeki Cherries, which merged with Dam Good Fruit three years ago, offers 22 cherry varieties, with 3000 trees opened to the public on Ripponvale Road for PYO. The orchard caters largely for tourists, with a huge percentage from the Asian market. The business also offers a range of outside games and activities, for people to enjoy while having a picnic under the trees.
Owner, Martin Milne, once owned three cherry orchards in the district – managing 6000 trees that produced 100 tonnes of fruit. With the PYO side of the business being so successful, he now only exports 10 tonnes.
Martin says some days there are 100 cars lined up in the car park and he’s strategically positioned his marketing right into Queenstown Airport, so the tourists know where to go for that cherry picking experience.
Despite the demand, 2023 will mark the first year that Cheeki Cherries has had to increase its prices due to rising costs. For years you could PYO for around $15/kg, but at $17/kg – it’s still reasonable for export quality cherries.
For more information:
HortNZ
Tel.: +64 04 472 3795
[email protected]
hortnz.co.nz
