Te Kahu olive harvest - Waiheke Island

The hawk was airborne over the house when we arrived off the 9.10am ferry. Regulars and friends know what that signifies.

Te Kahu – the harrier hawk - in Maori mythology the colour of its feathers resulted from scorching by the fire of Mahuika trying to destroy Maui. Its also the brand name of the award winning oil we’ll work on producing.

Another year has passed and the olives are ripe for picking. The gathering at harvest time has become a looked forward to highlight of a not so busy social calendar. A time to meet with people seldom seen, to remember loved ones not present and do some unfamiliar physical work.




There’s something primitive and strangely satisfying about this communal activity. Perhaps a remnant from some distant generational memory of subsistence living? For someone in the team it's just plain fun!
Some strange and some familiar faces in the picking squad today.

As always, there’s an excellent feed washed down with good NZ wine or beer at lunchtime.

Somehow the crew manages to keep working in the afternoon without a siesta. The nights are drawing in (as we say in Scotland) so the day is short. Six pm ferry back to the city for a long soak and an early night.