Tours

Tours

Guided tours at Monavale take you beyond the surface, offering an in-depth exploration of organic farming principles, regenerative soil techniques, and biodiversity conservation. Led by knowledgeable team members, tours provide a behind-the-scenes look at how we nurture healthy ecosystems, protect pollinators, and deliver nutrient-rich food. It’s an opportunity to witness firsthand the delicate dance between human care and natural processes.

Price of tours is $20 per person or $35 per person including morning or afternoon tea at Café Irresistiblue. Minimum number of guests for tours is 10 people.

Tours operate any weekday in November through to March, but bookings are essential. Our staff are unlikely to be available if we are unable to plan ahead for you. If you would like to book a tour outside November to March, please give us a call to explore options.

Plan your visit by season

Summer: We start harvesting the blueberries from the end of October through to the end of March. Blueberries can be seen on the bushes, and the orchard becomes a hive of activity.

Autumn: During autumn the leaves and canes on the blueberry bushes turn a rich red/brown, which is a pretty sight. The entire orchard is an amazing spectacle of colours. A sea of greens, oranges, reds, yellows, purples can be seen from the café looking over the orchard, a sight not to be missed!

Winter: Winter is a dormant time for blueberry bushes, where they rest and recover from their summer exertion. The café will be warm and cosy and you will be able to enjoy our blueberry products and the fantastic views.

Spring: Our blueberry bushes start flowering in spring, which is a beautiful sight. Pink, white and red flowers start appearing, and the orchard comes alive again. This is a nice time to take an orchard tour.

Plan your visit by month

January – Our highbush varieties slow down and our rabbiteye varieties start to ripen. We attend the Waikato Farmers Markets weekly.

February – The orchard is operating at full swing. The bulk of our organic blueberry production is harvested at this time. We attend the Waikato Farmers Markets weekly.

March – We are still very busy with our fresh blueberry production. Our rabbiteye varieties start to slow down towards the end of the month. We attend the Waikato Farmers Markets weekly.

April – Our fresh blueberry production mostly finishes. We start the huge task of orchard maintenance. We start mowing, weeding and pruning. We collate orchard data and information from the season.

May – We are busy pruning and completing general orchard maintenance including mowing, scrubcutting and weeding. If the Autumn has been warm, and we haven't had any April frost, then the blueberry harvest might continue into May.

June – We are busy pruning and general orchard maintenance including mowing, scrubcutting and weeding.

July – We are still busy pruning! We put the plastic on our tunnel houses.

August – We complete more orchard maintenance, including hand weeding, and scrubcutting around every single bush on the orchard. We also apply organic fertilisers.

September – The blueberry bushes start to flower. We are in full frost protection mode. We are busy preparing for the up and coming season ahead, including welcoming new seasonal staff and ordering materials.

October – The first of our fresh blueberries start to ripen from our tunnel houses. We are still on high alert frost protection mode. We start attending the Waikato Farmers Markets weekly.

November – We are still picking from our tunnel houses. Towards the end of the month our fresh outdoor crop starts to ripen. We attend the Waikato Farmers Markets weekly.

December – We are busy with picking and processing our outdoor highbush varieties. We attend the Waikato Farmers Markets weekly.