Pick your own around Wellington and the Manawatū

Wellington is not an obvious fruit-growing region, and yet it carries a solid set of self-pick farms, most of them in the sheltered valleys rather than on the exposed coast.

Where they are

The Upper Hutt and the wider Hutt Valley hold most of the region’s farms, with more towards Pauatahanui and the Kāpiti Coast. These are sheltered pockets: Wellington’s wind is the limiting factor on fruit growing here, and the farms sit where hills break it.

Blueberries are the main crop, running December through February, with strawberries and some vegetable picking alongside.

The Manawatū adds raspberries

North over the hill, Manawatū-Whanganui carries raspberries and vegetables. The district is cooler and flatter, and its raspberry season runs through summer with an autumn tail on the autumn-fruiting varieties.

Vegetable self-pick is unusual in New Zealand and this is one of the few places to find it. It runs on a different calendar from fruit, often into autumn.

Practical notes

Wind. It sounds like a joke about Wellington but it matters: a fine still morning in the Hutt can be a gale by afternoon, and farms sometimes close rows on very windy days for safety around netting and structures.

The valleys are cooler than the city and hold moisture. Rows are muddy after rain more often than in the north. Closed shoes.

Seasons run a little later here than Auckland or the Bay of Plenty. If you have missed strawberries up north, Wellington may still be going.

Sun is still fierce. Cooler air does not mean weaker ultraviolet. New Zealand’s UV is among the strongest in the world and a cloudy Wellington day will still burn you.

Updated 10 September 2026