ORION  

Very early flowering and ripening peach ripe from late November - early Dec. Small white fleshed peach, red blush, extremely heavy, reliable cropper, fruit often needs thinning to avoid breaking branches, freestone.

DAVID AUSTIN

This is a small-medium size peach with white flesh and a red blush on the skin. It is very sweet and tender and came from David Austin, Kaitaia. Xmas.

RIVER PEACH

River Peaches are the ones that set me off on this whole journey. They are disease resistant, easy to grow and grow true to seed They are prolific croppers of sweet medium sized, green skin with a red blush, white fleshed, free stone fruit.

HAM'S SPECIAL

This peach was given to me many years ago by Ham Worsfold. I couldn’t believe it when it ripened early this year on the very day of his wife’s funeral. We will grow the stones and pass the trees back to their grandchildren! One of the real joys of being a gardener is being able to do such things. Whenever there is a birth or a death I look around to see what is flowering or fruiting to gift or remember that person by… these are the rituals that help bring back the sacred… Anyway this is an old fashioned thick skinned peach Ham called his Maori peach, and he used to say you had to eat it standing naked in the bath!!?? It looks like an apricot when ripe with an orangey skin and red blush, with very sweet juicy flesh.

LADY ADELAIDE 152

This variety is large with white flesh, has a good flavour but is not very sweet. It is a small tree, grows true to seed and a reliable cropper. Ripens late Jan.

WAIATEA

These trees will forever remind me of the stories and the dream of the Kaumatua (Makaera) who welcomed us onto his marae at Waiatea on the Kaipara and told us the story of his grandparent’s garden around the marae on the edge of the Kaipara. Usual thing… large gardens, potato, kumara, kamo kamo, ruruhau, figs peaches citrus apples quinces and plums. His dream is to see the gardens once again around the marae and the Kaipara; my dream too. We rummaged around under the last three remaining peach trees and found a few stones, most of which grew. I haven’t tasted the fruit but they will be a variation on the River peach theme and stand for me as symbols for the dream of replanting the gardens!

CHRISTINA

A small-medium size peach, very similar to the River peach, but slightly firmer and sweeter, freestone. Good for bottling, jam and wine. Reliable heavy cropper. Ex Matakohe, Phil Hodges.Ripens early Feb.

PUDGE

A peach sent in by a member that has turned out to be beauty.  It looks and tastes a lot like an apricot, with very orange sweet flesh. Ripe in early Feb after the River and Christina peaches it’s a beauty for bottling and drying as well as eating.

ARAPAHOE

This variety has red skin, golden flesh and freestone with red streaks around the stone. It has an outstanding flavour, excellent texture and is very juicy. It is an outstanding Dalmation cultivar and originally came from Ruawai.

BLACKBOY PEACH

These are old favourites around the North and are particularly good for drying and bottling because of their flavour and freestone qualities. They are also great as a desert peaches when fully ripe; they have thick furry skins like all old peaches and amazing dark blood red streaky flesh.

RED LEAF BLACKBOY

Several people have sent us these red leaved peaches in the past few years. They are extremely ornamental and worth growing for the colour of their leaves alone, however they crop well with Blackboy peaches just like the others.

HOKIANGA GOLDEN QUEEN         

Extremely disease resistant peach, heavy cropper of small very sweet exquisitely flavoured golden fruit. They are the prolific old original Golden Queens that grew wild over much of Northland. Clingstone. Ripe March.

FOUR WINDS

This is a peach collected on a trip around the far North with David Austen and over the past 10 years has proved to be a beauty in my orchard. Late ripening, disease resistant, very sweet, firm full of flavour, flesh. Clingstone. Excellent dessert peach. Pale skin red blush when ripe.

BATLEY 148

This variety has honey coloured flesh and skin, transparent when ripe with a red blush. Dessert. From Batley, Kaipara Harbour. Ripe Mar/Apr.

PEACHERINES

MATAKOHE

An outstanding new addition to our collection. This tree came from an old orchard still being well maintained in the Matakohe area. It’s a sweet melting buttery yellow fleshed fruit, ripe February.

JOY YEARBURY

A peacherine with excellent flavour. It came to the Koanga Collection from Northland. Ripens Mid Feb.

RED BLUFFS           

Greeny pale yellow furry skin, firm sweet juicy delicious flesh, old fashioned flavour. This is an outstanding very old cultivar from the original Red Bluff’s nursery early in the twentieth century. Because it is late ripening it needs an exposed position to avoid brown rot. Ripe March.