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The weather forecast was for rain. But then they’d said that for the day before too, so we were delighted when we were greeted by the clear blue sky, and some of us threw caution to the wind and boarded the bus without clothes suitable for the eventual weather change and ensuing drop in temperatures. Diana Loader talked us through the trip so newcomers to the area got a good idea of what, where and when. Kai means food and we certainly got more than our fair share of that.
Olives, olives and yet more olives with plantings starting in 1996 now 1800 trees of fifteen varieties mostly for oil production - at harvest it is full on. This year they are to be picked by the mechanical flappers which can strip the trees of 400-600 kg a day per person with less leaf collection than stripping by hand (unless of course you have a market for the organic leaves like the Hollises). The first plantings were Verdale to see how they’d cope with the conditions - now there are Picula, Leccino (big fruit ripens month earlier), Frantoio, Carelea (not doing well here), J5, Barnea (still to crop), Piccolini, Uvio, Manzanilla, Souri (the best seen in the country) and Koroneiki which is doing well and of which they plan to plant more. In four and a half years the growth is amazing with good trunk development and they are self-fertile so bypasses the pollinator problems.
Harvest to pressing in 24 hours means hard constant work and carting them down to Kapiti. Plans are being made to install their own centrifugal press as their preference is for varietal oils. No irrigation is needed because of the consistent rainfall throughout the year of between 560mm to 900mm and the fertile free draining soil (Westmere ash loam over clay over sand). The prevailing westerly wind has made its presence known by the lack of fruit on trees (Picual) that bear the brunt of it, or crop on one side only (Frantoio). There is no pollination if the wind is too strong - 7mph. A timely reminder about shelter - don’t rely on neighbours if you can help it - make sure you have plenty of your own. They wish (as do so many tree croppers) they had planted more to begin with before the olives but are now planting more Alnus glutinosa (Black alder).
At first it had been thought that the black spots on the Frantoio was caused by sooty mould but tests have shown it to be bruising when the fruit is starting to ripen. The knobbles are a characteristic of this variety which has a very high oil content. It is a late variety and can be picked green.
When asked about the bird problem it was interesting to hear there wasn’t one! They don’t have other crops to attract them and the adjacent land was dairy farms.
We had an oil tasting here and were given sheets with ideas on how to use Kildara Olive Oil.
Food and drinks as well.
Commentary along the way: 4500 people used to live in this gully, mostly Maori. There were 1500 Railway workers. The highway was upgraded for the milk tankers now big milk trains pass twice a day. We cheered the bus driver on his rather sharp turn onto the bridge. Someone planted 30k of trees to beautify the road to Wanganui. The Japanese walnuts (Juglans ailantifolia) with their long clusters of nuts (not to be confused with Black walnut - J. nigra) while though pretty are classed as Regional Surveillance Control as they can dominate riparian areas and block water courses.
By the time we got to Diana and Walter Loader’s immaculate property the rain arrived too. Luckily they had the foresight to put the tables and chairs inside the wondrous barn with accommodation, a winemaking and distillation area, and amazing things hanging everywhere. Time for “Silver Service” lunch with soooo much delicious food all thoughts of diet went down the drain. What a great chance to sample home cooking at its best. Twice! This arable, flat, fertile land of 17 ha was “bought as bare land in 1987 largely by accident and the difficulties were the open and often expressed outrage the locals felt at seeing arable land cut up for growing trees. Whatever the local farmers do we did the opposite, growing shelter belts, rotary grazing and lots of races and small paddocks. And going after all the possums” to quote Diana.
This property is very close to Forest and Bird Society’s Bushy Park Reserve so eliminating the possums in the general area meant benefits for all. We saw bait stations uneaten which is a great sign of a job well done. Native trees regenerating and a return of birdlife shows this is how a whole area can be saved.
The property lies 200m above sea level and has an average mean rainfall of 1400mm. So certainly a lot wetter than the previous property we’d visited. They got good winter chill for the crops that needed it (and those that didn’t at times).
There were lots of paddocks with tree combinations sheltering them from the prevailing nor-westerlies. The bonus was that they get more grass growth for the animals than their unsheltered neighbours. Groups of fruit and nut trees everywhere - plums, apples, figs, macadamias (could be grafted to better bearing trees now they are above the frost), peaches, nectarines, quince, feijoa. Apricots (being replaced as too fickle - but what about the apricot liqueur and yummy jam - and what will the travellers on the State Highway do when there isn’t anyone to coerce them into buying a box of fruit?) They are going to resume their original main crop, walnuts at the rate of about 100 a year for how long?
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John Deans and Eric Cairns had an interesting debate as to what constitutes a good tree. Eric thought some needing coppicing to get a straight trunk while John commented of the merits of character for furniture. I think they agreed that it was a good stand of Fraxinus excelsior. They can be used when coppiced as stakes and handles at about age 13 years (or were the trees 13 years old?). Chestnut burr mulch makes a great repellent for hares and rabbits - too prickly for them. The Ash Grove was reminiscent.
Some of us took a quick walk to the neighbours with a lovely garden - mostly rescued from overgrown bush and paths through the trees delighted us. The pretty evergreen rose that caught my fancy was Nancy Hayward. Some of us also collected seedpods of the giant Himalayan Lily (well it wouldn’t be a trip for me without collecting something!)
Back to the Barn for yet more food - in silver service style.
A Permaculture Property where the decision was to have a large scale home garden rather than a small market garden was on 6ha of rolling Westmere silt loam also exposed to the prevailing northwesterly winds. Planted originally for timber as a retirement option they have added to this with fruit orchards and organic vegetables, which are delivered to families in the community. Pigs, poultry, cattle and sheep play their part too.
Compost was made on the upper parts of growing areas so could be moved easier to where it was needed. Weeds were pulled when big enough to clear areas for the next crop. Green cover crops were broadbeans/vetch or lupins. Sequential plantings were potatoes, then seedlings like celery, then a seed crop. The developed ponds holding 9 million litres of runoff was pumped by windmill to a supply tank on the high point of the property. From there it is gravity fed to the irrigation system. It still looked like a lot of hard work.
“In operating their property Dave and Jan have set themselves a number of goals that direct their decision making and management of the property.
Their production goal is to achieve optimum organic production from healthy plants and animals in a diverse multipurpose tree farming system.
The financial goals are to:
- Gain a secure, year round supplementary income from diversified, low cost, high return production.
- Reduce living costs and dependency on outside income.
- Have a good standard of living when they retire.
Their sustainable land use goals are to:
- Develop an ecologically sustainable, consciously designed permaculture that enhances soil, water and other biological resources by increasing biological diversity and nutrient recycling.
- Achieve an energy effcient low input system with minimal maintenance and pollution.
Their lifestyle goals are to:
- Live a happy and stimulating lifestyle on an attractive and efficient homestead.
- Provide the opportunity to have an enjoyable family life and regular holidays.
- Develop the outdoor living and recreational potential of the property with enhanced views, a natural park-like landscape, woodland walks and wildlife habitats.”
More food and drinks.
The weather got progressively wetter and colder and Roy Hart’s straw sun hat kept some rain off him but it was hard to concentrate.
Acacia melanoxylon is cancerous so use a mask when sawing or mulching. (And cedar too?)
"Quoted commentary is from the Field Trip Notes"
Another of Gail’s epistles. Photos too.
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Created: 5/June/2002 - Updated: 2004 September 05