Avocados thrive in sunny south

Richie Bocock believes his avocado grove on Banks Peninsula could be the southernmost in the world.

He and his wife Kate Bocock needed a change of scene after years of dairy farming and they found it at French Farm on the western side of Akaroa Harbour.

On a steep, rugged 30 hectare block of farmland, they've planted avocado trees, built three secluded pod cabins and farm a herd of Speckle Park cattle. 

The rundown property had been a small dairy farm for many years.

"When we bought it we thought the best thing to do was to fence off all the regenerating bush and the creeks so no cattle would have access to the waterways."

The bulk of the 90 avocado trees were planted three years ago after spending two years in a Gisborne nursery.

"So most of them are Hass but some are the Zutano variety and they are used for pollinating"

Some are already three metres high and are carrying a good crop of fruit.

"They'll be ready in about October, they've still got a bit of growing to do, but I think they're every bit as big as the North Island can produce," he says proudly.

He's hoping to be able to sell at least a thousand of the fruit this year, well up from a modest 100 last year.

"We'd like to sell locally and to top-end restaurants as there's no one doing it here. We'd like to be pioneers if you like."