Ngai Tahu Tourism's Diane Curtis inspects the Agrodome's olive grove before next month's Olive Festival on June 7. Photo/Stephen Parker
Ngai Tahu Tourism's Diane Curtis inspects the Agrodome's olive grove before next month's Olive Festival on June 7. Photo/Stephen Parker
The olives are plump and ripe for the picking in the Agrodome grove and, to celebrate its inaugural 2014 harvest, the tourist attraction will hold an Olive Festival.
The festival was the brainchild of Ngai Tahu Tourism meetings, incentives, conferences and events market sales manager Diane Curtis.
She said theone-day festival would be held on Saturday, June 7 from 10am to 2pm in the Education Centre at the Agrodome's olive and kiwifruit orchard.
She said visitors would experience the inner workings of an olive grove first hand and be able to press their own gourmet oil.
"An artisan olive oil maker from The Village Press will demonstrate how to achieve the best results, before guests turn their hand to pressing olives, sampling flavours and bottling their own vintage oil," she said.
"Then it's time to relax over a sumptuous lunch, with an olive-themed menu created by our resident chef."
The Agrodome is one of New Zealand's iconic tourist attractions and not only offers farm shows and tours but also operates as a 133ha working sheep and cattle farm, part of which includes the organic olive grove.
"We are hoping to make this an annual event. The olive grove is a bit of a hidden secret on the farm and we're very excited to be sharing its first ever olive harvest press with everyone."
