Pick your own in the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty

These two regions sit next to each other and grow different things, which makes them worth treating as one trip.

The Waikato: blueberries

The Waikato holds the largest concentration of self-pick blueberry farms in the country. The soils and the climate suit the crop, and the region’s blueberry farms tend to be larger and better set up for visitors than average, with a long season running from December through to March, sometimes later.

The Waikato also has lavender, which opens in late spring and early summer and is a different sort of visit: you are picking for scent and for drying rather than for the kitchen.

The Bay of Plenty: boysenberries and mixed berries

The Bay of Plenty carries the largest set of self-pick boysenberry growers on this site, alongside strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. Boysenberries run December to February and come in waves, so timing matters more here than in a blueberry patch.

The region is warm and its strawberry season starts early, like Auckland’s.

Doing both

The two regions are close enough that a determined day could take in a blueberry farm in the Waikato and a boysenberry farm in the Bay of Plenty, and the crops overlap in January. Check both listings for opening days first: berry farms often pick on set days rather than continuously.

Practical notes

Blueberry farms reward a slow morning. The picking is easy, the bushes are at a comfortable height and there is nothing sharp. This is the best region in the country for a first self-pick trip with small children.

Boysenberry farms reward checking ahead. Short season, waves of fruit, and farms that open at short notice.

Take a chilly bin. Both regions are warm in summer and the drive home from either is long enough to matter.

Updated 10 September 2026