Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HOT FUZZ: KIWIFRUIT
The humble kiwifruit earns NZ more than a billion dollars every year, and with the
Bay of Plenty in the thick of the action, it's no wonder the locals are fond of them.
The fruit's origins are in China, where it was called the monkey peach (they were
considered ripe when the monkeys munched them). As they migrated to NZ, they
were renamed the Chinese gooseberry − they were a lot smaller then, but canny
Kiwis engineered them to more generous sizes and began exporting them in the
1950s. The fruit was then sexily rebranded as the Zespri. Today the Zesprians grow
two types of kiwifruit: the common fuzzy-covered green fruit, and the gold fruit
with its smooth complexion. To learn more about the kiwifruit, visit Kiwi360 in Te
Puke.
For visitors after a dollar or two, there's always kiwifruit-picking work around the
area, most of it during harvest (May and June): don't expect to make much more
than $14 an hour. Enquire at regional i-SITEs, or check online at
www.picknz.co.nz
.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Te Puke
POP 7500
Welcome to the 'Kiwifruit Capital of the World', a busy town during the picking season
when there's plenty of work around. The
Te Puke Visitor Information Centre
( 07-573
9172;
www.tepuke.co.nz
; 130 Jellicoe St; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat; )
is in the same
building as the public library (staff will confirm that 'Puke' rhymes with cookie, not
fluke).
For the low-down on all things kiwifruit, swing into
Kiwi360
( 0800 549 4360,
07-573 6340;
www.kiwi360.com
; 35 Young Rd, off SH2; admission free, tour adult/child/family $20/
6/46; 9am-5pm)
at the turn-off for Maketu. Sitting among orchards of nashi pears, cit-
rus, avocados and (you guessed it) kiwifruit, this visitor centre peels off a range of attrac-
tions including a 35-minute 'kiwicart' orchard tour, kiwifruit viewing tower (not much of
a view) and a cafe serving kiwifruit delights.
After something sweeter? About 10km south of Te Puke in Paengaroa,
Comvita
(
0800 493 782, 07-533 1987;
www.experiencecomvita.com
; 23 Wilson Rd S, Paengaroa; admission
free, guided tours adult/child/family $22.50/11/64; 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-5pm Sat &
Sun)
is home to NZ's most famous honey- and bee-derived health-care products. A
big new visitor centre was being built when we visited: expect a cafe, shop and guided
