People can pick their own strawberries at Whanganui's Windermere Berry Farm - but only at weekends, managing director Tony Boswell says. Photo / Laurel Stowell
People can pick their own strawberries at Whanganui's Windermere Berry Farm - but only at weekends, managing director Tony Boswell says. Photo / Laurel Stowell
Picking your own berries is back on again at a farm in Whanganui after it was axed following a spate of thefts and bad behaviour.
Whanganui's Windermere Berry Farm suspended its pick-your-own option after pickers were seen wrenching a waratah out of the ground and picking in an off-limits area last month.
Kilograms of berries were also being taken without being paid for, cafe manager Matthew Boswell said.
But picking your own became possible again on at the weekend and about 450 "well behaved" people took advantage.
A lot of people leapt at the chance, Windermere managing director Tony Boswell said.
Picking your own berries back at Windermere Berry Farm after it was suspended due to thefts and bad behaviour. Photo / File
Publicity from the previous weekend's ban may have helped, and also may have "scared off the ratbags", Boswell added.
For now pick-your-own is only available at weekends and an extra staff member has been hired to host it.
When there are little kids there, you want them having a great time. The amount they eat is never going to be a big deal.
Pick-your-own people were given a separate larger area of 0.65ha to pick in. The host advised people on how to pick, and the area has a gazebo where pickers aged over 18 can taste some wine first.
Unlike other berry farms, Windermere has never banned people from eating as they pick. The tastiest berries are always straight from the plant, Boswell said.
"When there are little kids there, you want them having a great time. The amount they eat is never going to be a big deal."
When the school holidays start he's hoping he can make the pick-your-own option available every day, and extend it to raspberries.
It's just the very very few ratbags that hit you hard.
More than 90 per cent of pick-your-own people are well behaved, he said.
"It's just the very very few ratbags that hit you hard."
