Just a short drive from Kerikeri, Blue River Orchard offers one of those simple, authentic experiences that travellers remember long after their trip. Tucked just off the highway near Waipapa, this small family-run blueberry orchard welcomes visitors each summer with the irresistible promise of fresh berries and real fruit ice cream.

During the harvest season, typically from November through early autumn, the orchard shop serves freshly picked blueberries alongside smoothies, jams, baking, and good coffee. The highlight for many visitors is the orchard’s famously generous blueberry ice cream, made with fruit grown just metres away.

Grab a cone or a punnet of berries and settle into one of the garden chairs overlooking the orchard rows. It’s an unpretentious, relaxed stop — the kind of place where locals bring visiting friends and travellers happily linger in the sunshine.

Blue River Orchard began as a lifestyle block project by owners Justin Topzand and Buffy McNicholas, who gradually transformed their property into a working blueberry farm with around two thousand plants. Their philosophy remains simple: grow excellent fruit and share it with visitors in a welcoming rural setting.

For anyone exploring Kerikeri and the Bay of Islands, Blue River Orchard offers a sweet and distinctly Northland taste of summer.