At the beginning of this year, in February, Cyclone Gabrielle caused immeasurable damage to seven hectares of cherry trees in Riverside Cherries, the overflowing of the Ngaruroro River was just one of the consequences that affected the orchard and that, understandably, worried the local fruit producers, who feared a weak season for this year.
Despite this, recent months have filled residents with hope as they begin to see damaged orchards bloom, projecting a good harvest for Christmas, as reported by RNZ.
After the climatic event, there was arduous work to replant and repair the affected area, something that, although it is giving good results, is only the first step in a long road ahead. As the orchard owner, Jerf van Beek, explained, “we were completely devastated. What we lost we replanted into young trees and then we had to start the big job of repairing our cages.”
And although he announced that the harvest will probably be smaller than last season, they hope that by the first days of December they will be able to have the first fruits, something that fits their traditional calendar.
In addition to the orchards and plantations, refrigerators and packaging machinery were also destroyed after Gabrielle, something that is still in the process of reconstruction but that will not be an impediment to supplying consumers in Auckland, Wellington and throughout the country in general, which is looking forward to enjoying the local cherries.
Source: RNZ
