Community fruit
I visited the Island Bay & Berhampore community orchard in Spring, on a busy Sunday working bee - a hive of activity under the warm November sun.
It’s been almost six years since the first saplings were planted by an eager group of volunteers on a sunny slope off a busy suburban road in Wellington. Since then, this grassy patch has blossomed into a vibrant and flourishing community orchard - home now to 50 or so trees - ten varieties of apples, five types of plums, four types of pears as well as apricot, feijoa and peach.
Thanks to the passion and dedication of this small group of locals, the residents of Berhampore and beyond are now beginning to see the literal fruits of their labour.
The orchard dog - essential.
Bumblebees and marigolds
The orchard is run by a community trust made up of six dedicated volunteers. Chair of the trust, Bronwen Newton, says the early days of the orchard were no easy feat; "From the beginning, our community orchard was different to others on council land because it's part of the town belt," she says. Bronwen explains the orchard was met with significant opposition from the Friends of Wellington Town Belt Group, who didn't want it to encroach on the 520 hectares reserved for public recreation.
After much discussion and back and forth, the orchard was finally given the green light in 2011.
“I see what we’re doing as using the town belt in a community enhancing way.”
Last year it was met with more pushback after the gardeners applied to extend their license to keep bees at the orchard. Bronwen Newton says she's been frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm, "I see what we're doing as using the town belt in a community enhancing way. We're not cutting down native trees or keeping people off the land."
The group persisted and the orchard is now home to two boldly decorated bee hives. In the bloom of Spring, the garden looks like a verdant paradise; a tangled mass of edibles with bees dancing across bright patches of flowers.
"Anyone is welcome to visit the orchard and help themselves," says Bronwen as she gazes across at a row of fruit trees and below them, a variety of perennial herbs and seasonal vegetables. "But it would be nice to give back in kind and come down to one of our monthly working bees," she adds with a smile.
“Anyone is welcome to visit the orchard and help themselves to the fresh fruit.”
The orchard needs regular volunteers to flourish. Head here if you would like to find out how to get involved.
