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Alison Haslip (right) and her daughter Nicole pick feijoas at Pinewater Orchard near Auckland
Unlikely crop keeps orchard afloat What started as a plan for an easy retirement turned into more of a baptism by fire for organic orchardists Alison and Brian Haslip. HELENA O’NEILL talks to Alison about the highs and lows of growing feijoa and limes organically, and how an unlikely crop is keeping the orchard profitable. The Haslips run Pinewater Orchard, a 6.25ha property in Waiau Pa, south of Auckland, with a stunning view over the Taihiki Estuary on the upper reaches of the Manukau Harbour. Alison says the fertile soils of the Franklin region help provide the perfect location for an organic orchard. Pinewater’s beach is typical of the Manukau Harbour foreshore, being tidal and complete with mangroves. There are pleasant sandy spots, and the water is safe for swimming and boating. “We decided to have a nice, easy retirement income. We decided to plant trees and it was going to be really nice and easy,” she laughs. The development of the orchard began in 2000 using organic principles and by June 2006 it had reached full organic status. For three years the couple planted trees, 30
The ORCHARDIST : MAY 2022
and each year they planted 400 feijoa trees. The orchard now has 1,200 feijoa trees (Unique, Apollo, and Den’s Choice) and 100 Bearss lime trees. “This year the trees haven’t got much fruit on them, but then I was talking to friends of ours in Tuakau and all around them there is no fruit on the trees.” The past three years have been difficult for the Haslips with the arrival of the guava moth in 2018, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and a decline in Brian’s health. Their last proper harvest was back in 2018, with about 16 tonnes of fruit that year. “Then guava moth came along and then Covid-19, so the orchard has gradually moved on and we do what we can.” This year only about 300 feijoa trees will be harvested with most of the Unique variety fruit being too small to be worth picking.
