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Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Nice weather for blueberries

Bay of Plenty Times
22 Dec, 2015 07:30 PM2 mins to read

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Seasonal workers Benjamin Cabaret, 19, and Chloe Recoules, 21, picking berries for the summer season at Somerfield Berryfruit Farm. Photo / George Novak
Seasonal workers Benjamin Cabaret, 19, and Chloe Recoules, 21, picking berries for the summer season at Somerfield Berryfruit Farm. Photo / George Novak

Seasonal workers Benjamin Cabaret, 19, and Chloe Recoules, 21, picking berries for the summer season at Somerfield Berryfruit Farm. Photo / George Novak

Peak berry season has hit Tauranga and, while strawberries had proven less fruitful this year, other berries were growing well.

Richard Somerfield of Somerfield Berryfruit Farm said although strawberries were having a less fruitful season, raspberries and blueberries were ripening nicely.

"From what I can gather strawberries are down everywhere. It's the cold nights and cold mornings, and from a cold spring," Mr Somerfield said.

However, these conditions have been good for the other berries.

"Raspberries and blueberries had a cold winter but seemed to like it."

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Owner of Julians Berry Farm and Cafe Monica Julian said they were experiencing fewer strawberries this season as well, but were seeing families come in from all around the region to pick their fruit.

"There are heaps of families travelling in from Rotorua, Tauranga and Auckland," Ms Julian said.

"We have a huge amount of holiday-makers coming."

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Ms Julian said it was a good opportunity for visitors to "hang out at the berry farm and then the beach".

Craig McNaughton of Iona Boysenberry Orchard said their berry season was "pretty good, the weather is on our side".

"It's not a full crop, but it's a good one," Mr McNaughton said.

He recommended those picking their own berries to go for the black boysenberries rather than the red ones.

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Mr McNaughton said they had a lot of visitors to their orchard, and put it down to the growth in the Bay of Plenty and the enjoyment families get from picking their own berries.

"Kids enjoy it, it's the whole Christmas buzz," Mr McNaughton said.

Shirley Marriott, owner of Redwood Lane Blueberries which opens at the end of January, said their berries "are doing really well".

Ms Marriott put it down to their mature bushes.

"They're always best freshly picked," Ms Marriott said.

It's going to be a bright Christmas

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Christmas in Tauranga is expected to be fine this year. The forecast for Christmas Eve was for some cloud and limited sun with a threat of scattered showers.

A maximum of 21C has been predicted. On Christmas Day, there is a slight chance of the odd shower early in the morning. Otherwise, the day was expected to bring plenty of sun with a maximum 22C. Boxing Day is set to be mostly sunny with a high of 25C.

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