A Taste of Central Otago: Year 12 Food and Nutrition Trip

By Emma Moore | Posted: Tuesday February 24, 2026

The Year 12 Food and Nutrition class went to Central Otago last week. The trip focused on local, seasonal produce.

Day 1 – The first stop was Marsh's Honey in Ettrick. They were generous with their knowledge, passion, and time. The boys learned a lot about pollination and the importance of bees—75% of our food production depends on them. We can't thank them enough for taking the time to host us.

We made the most of our local stops en route, visiting Fairview Orchard in Roxburgh and Robert's Family Orchard. The students made connections with the locals and made themselves useful by helping a lovely couple in their 59th year of gathering stone fruit for preserving.

Day 2 – Jackson Orchards was our next stop. The boys toured the working orchard and were able to ‘pick their own’ new-season apples, as well as the last of the peaches, nectarines, and apricots. This was an excellent tour, available to anyone. Learning the ins and outs of running and maintaining the orchard was interesting, informative, and fun. The highlight was the real fruit ice creams.

Red Ridge Berries was our next host, where the boys enjoyed ‘pick your own’ strawberries and more real fruit ice creams. Situated in Luggate, the boys were able to see a diverse range of food production, including beef, microgreens, herbs, and strawberries. We appreciated Bex taking the time to educate us about their business and unique methods of food production. She was generous with her knowledge, produce, and time.

Final Day – Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Forest Lodge Orchard (Electric Cherries) due to illness. Instead, we compared more local orchard produce and offerings and finished with a first-time visit to Domaine Thomson Winery. Domaine Thomson Winery is a boutique winery set in the stunning surroundings of Mt Pisa. Our visit focused on how the vineyard operates as a multifaceted business. We were fortunate to learn about the winery, its backstory, and its grapes.

The theme throughout the trip was family, community, hard work, efficiency, and a passion for quality local food production. We were very appreciative of the time and knowledge shared with us.

The boys had the opportunity to purchase fresh, local produce to bring back to school. Real fruit ice creams were the trip’s go-to snack, and freshly picked fruit provided a clean and healthy alternative. This week, we made strawberry jam thanks to the generosity of Red Ridge Berries, and we will be making plum sauce using Black Doris plums from Fairview Orchard—making the most of the abundant fruit at the end of the season.

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