My Account
Regular users of State Highway 1 will notice earthworks have started on the Morrison farm, just south of Warkworth.
The work is part of the development of a visitor attraction, centred on the Kenilworth Orchard owned by the Morrison family, which has been part of the Warkworth landscape for more than 80 years.
Project manager Bevan Morrison says a new entrance is being formed for the future ‘fruit shed’.
By fruit shed, Morrison means an architecturally-designed, purpose-built family destination, which includes fresh fruit and produce sales, an undercover playground, café and monthly farmers market.
Morrison had hoped to have the complex open next year to coincide with a celebration marking the family’s connection with orcharding in the Mahurangi district spanning 150 years. Kenilworth was planted in 1935 as a continuation of the Morrison legacy, which started with the Red Bluff and Glen Kōwhai orchards nearer Warkworth.
“But with Covid and everything else, that’s not going to happen,” Morrison says. “The likely opening date is probably going to be sometime in 2024. We are currently in the process of preparing the resource consent.”
The buildings will retain a rustic feel, in keeping with the heritage site. It will showcase the orchard’s heritage trees and history, and provide hands-on learning opportunities for schools and others.
Many of the fruit trees on the eight-hectare site have a long and impressive pedigree. The Gladney’s Red, for instance, was the first apple exported from NZ, arriving in London packed in cases of sawdust. As well as apples, there are peach, plum, pear and citrus trees.
The plan also includes opportunities for pick-your-own fruit, animal petting and camping, and will be linked to the town through walkway and cycleway networks.
Other local growers will be encouraged to use the farmers market to showcase their produce.
“It’s all about keeping things local, promoting fresh food and low food miles.”
The future of the orchard was under a cloud until it was formally included in the Warkworth Structure Plan in 2019.
