Our Nature
Aotearoa is a land of abundance; we’ve been blessed with an incredible diversity of fauna and flora, unique in the world.
Our fruits are pure and full of wonders because they are fed by our volcanic soil's rich minerals. Our berries are caressed by the winds, ripened by the sunshine, protected by the bush, and kissed by the bees surrounding them.
Yes, that’s us. New Zealanders…In love and passionate about the land.
All of this is what we call: New Zealand Nature.
Our orchard in spring, Mamaku, Rotorua
Our Story
Harry and Anne planted their first blueberry blocks in 1982 and, during the 1980s, were one of perhaps 18 growers in the Rotorua area registered to produce export fruit. Today, they are the only ones left.
At their Maraeroa Road property, they cultivated three blueberry varieties on 2.4ha of netted blocks - Jersey, Burlington, and the Dixi, which interestingly ripen on the bush in that order.
The venture into blueberries was not always an easy one; Harry and Anne received advice from multiple sources on how best to grow blueberries, mostly contradictory. Eventually, they decided that they would plant little seedlings, which weren’t more than bare twigs in rows. After months of diligently watching the twigs do barely anything at all, they finally leaped to life as spring came around, with tiny little shoots eventually becoming visible.
Through the eighties and nineties, the farm grew steadily, and with perseverance and a real passion to produce quality blueberries, it has continued to thrive.
For the next 15 years, they trialed a variety of plantings redcurrants, blackcurrants, gooseberries 30 different varieties of blueberries. Gooseberries were extremely interesting as were the Elliot variety of blueberries. They developed the gooseberry plantation on one-sixth of a hectare and removed all the unsuccessful plantings.
In 1999 they planted another 2 ha 2000 new plantings. With some of the new earlier varieties, Reka, Bluecrop, Brigitta, Duke, continuously observing the differences between the varieties, production, and harvesting times complimenting the existing orchard. In 2015 preparations for building another block of 6,500 blueberry bushes began with the first harvest in 2021, 6 years after the initial preparation was started.
Anne and Harry Frost
Legacy
Snuggled into the side of the 'Puku', one of the famous Mamaku land formations, a little way out of the historic timber village of Mamaku sits the Mamaku Blue Blueberry Farm, Orchard & Cafe (It used to be the only winery in the Rotorua district).
Today it produces award-winning fruit wines for local and international markets; it’s a hobby that has grown into an amazingly successful business. As well as the blueberry farm, the complex is also home to the Blueberry café, where delicious food, desserts, and of course real fruit ice-creams are served daily.
Harry and Anne have assembled an eclectic collection of super-interesting memorabilia and artifacts, some dating back over 100 years. Any trip to the café is not complete without a womble around the collection, and if Harry is on hand, he can tell you a little about everything.
The farm is now also home to son Phillip, his wife, Michaela, and their three children. A black cat called Blackie, ensures the smooth running of day-to-day matters!
Blueberry farming has become a family enterprise, a great place to work and live. It is a passion that drives the family to continuously strive for more innovative ways to farm, keeping sustainability at the forefront of everything they do and produce.
Phillip, his wife, Michaela, Harry and Anne with grandchildren