Phil Greig Strawberry Gardens
It’s strawberry season! Grab a hat and a bucket and make your way to Kumeu or Taupaki for a day of strawberry picking. The popular spots are open from late November/early December and cost less than $10 per person, which includes your first kilo. And to answer the question you’re all thinking – yes, you can eat as you go and the entry ticket for children aged 12 and under is free.
Sweet Red
With 2.4 million plants, you’ll be sure to leave with a full bucket and stomach! Sweet Red Gourmet is the largest individual strawberry producer in the Southern Hemisphere. Spend a magical day on the farm picking your own berries from 26th December. Enjoy real strawberry ice creams, smoothies and milkshakes made from the berries grown on the farm.
Pleasant Valley Blueberries
At just $12 per kg, picking blueberries from this farm is an absolute steal. Spend the day out on the beautiful Awhitu Peninsula for berry picking (and eating), a jaunt to the beach or lighthouse!
Good Planet (Home of ZaberriWorld)
Enjoy a fun day out picking strawberries with family or friends at Good Planet in Riverhead. It’s the perfect activity after a day at Muriwai beach. Enjoy a real fruit ice cream and send the kids over to the inflatable play area, if you want to tire them out before the trip home. It’s cheap as chips at just $30 for 3kgs of strawberries. Entry fee is $5 for adults and kids aged over 5, which covers as much as you can eat while picking!
Kumeu Flower Farm
If you are a flower enthusiast or simply need a large quantity of flowers at an affordable price, go to Kumeu Flower Farm. Once there, you will be shown the areas where you can pick, learn about what's in bloom, and you can then fill your bucket with a maximum of 40 stems of flowers. Do not forget to bring your own secateurs for picking flowers and a bucket to transport them in. Reservations are required. (Price ranges from $34.95 to $199.95).
Slow Blooms
Pick your own cut flowers and herbs for cooking and healing at Slow Booms in Matakana. All are grown sustainably. Simply grab a bucket, wander through the rows, select your favourite blooms, and pay at the shed. But most of all, remember to stop and smell the flowers! (Prices vary between $10 per 100 grams for cut flowers or $30 per 100 grams for herbs and flower tips).
CCT Lavender Farm & Cafe
CCT Lavender is a public organic lavender farm located in Karaka, South Auckland. Bring along the family, cut your own lavender, and the amazing staff there will help you make a bottle of fresh essential oil of your own. Note that there is a cafe on site with a kids' play area. All these activities are included in the $15 entry ticket! ($12 entry ticket per child or free for children up to 10 years). The lavender field is open for flower picking from November to February.
Lavender Hill Farm
Lavender Hill is a lavender, olive, and lemon farm in Riverhead, North-West Auckland. Farm tours are available from December to the end of January. Pre-booked tours allow you to walk among the lavender fields and olive trees, learn how lavender oil is made, feed the alpacas, and admire beautiful views. The Lavender Hill Farm shop is open to the public on holidays and weekends. Tours are $25 per person and children under 15 are free.
Leafy Hollow Lavender
Wander through three-acres of aromatic herbs, fragrant lavender and rosemary beds at Leafy Holly in Waiuku. There is always something to delight the senses but to appreciate lavender at its best, head there between November and the end of January. You can't pick your own lavender but a range of handmade lavender products are available for purchase at the gallery and gift shop. Product making workshops for small groups are also available.