FAMILY FRIENDLY OUTING
PICK YOUR OWN BLUEBERRIES! By Fritha Linklater updated by Saritta Burney Did you know that you can take the whole family to the beautiful Pohangina Valley and pick your own blueberries? Well you can, and you can make a day trip of it! Take your whole family and enjoy a lovely summer’s day picking some locally grown blueberries! Just a short drive from Palmerston North (only 30 mins from town) and you will arrive at Blue Acres Blueberry Farm. At Blue Acres there are 2.4 hectares (six acres) of blueberries planted in mainly Bluecrop and Earliblue varieties and supported by Ivanhoe, Darragh and Berkeley varieties. Just in time for Christmas, the season usually runs from early December right through until they run out, usually around the end of January. Thousands of people from all over the lower North Island travel to Blue Acres to pick these spray free berries. You are allowed to pick for as long as you like and weigh them at the end of your picking and pay based on a price per kg - a much cheaper price than supermarkets!
FB page for information and opening hours @BlueAcresBlueberries. Many people say it’s worth calling the morning before you go to check they are open, as sometimes the berries do not ripen consistently. They are usually open from 9-3pm, but not sure of days so double check! After you’ve finished all the picking head down the road to the Raumai Reserve (you pass it on your way) for a picnic on the shore or a swim. It’s a very popular swimming spot in summer, and the varying heights in the water suit all ages. There are also plenty of trees that provide shade on those hot days and public toilets for use. Your whole family will enjoy the outing and a great day trip on a summer’s day!
Tracy Parr “We have been, it was great! Elliott loved it - ate more blueberries than went in his bucket!! Super cheap way of buying blueberries too. We went at the end of the season but still plenty of blueberries on the trees!” Hannah Barnes “We go every year! Once I took my 2 week old baby in a carrier and picked heaps! We freeze them to last the year and my now toddler loves to eat them straight from the freezer” The owners don’t seem to mind younger aged children helping pick, even though they are well aware they eat a lot! Look up their 28 PALMY PARENT . PALMERSTON NORTH PARENTS CENTRE MAGAZINE
