Picking Berries at Ruakura Berry Shop - Hamilton's Best PYO Berry Spot
Nothing says summer, like picking berries out in the blazing hot sun. The feeling of sweat building on your forehead and your shirt sticking to your back, while you hunch over a bush hunting for strawberry bliss.
There is something awfully wholesome about it. Gathering up friends and family, and heading off with your buckets to hunt out the juiciest and biggest strawberries to munch on.
Strawberry picking is happy warm days with family and red stained hands.
One great place to pick strawberries in Waikato is the Ruakura Berry Shop in Newstead.
You can either buy pre packaged berries or asparagus if thats more your thing (I actually want to meet one person, who would rather munch on an asparagus than a strawberry though haha). Or alternatively you can go out into the fields and pick your own, which in my opinion is a lot more fun.
You pay a $4 per person entrance fee and then pay for the berries at $10 a kilo.
The fields are big and you simply wander around the strawberries bushels and hunt for red gold.
You can munch strawberries as you pick, which is always a fun delicious time. And with the added bonus that it fuels your strawberry adventures.
At Ruakura Berry Shop, you can other berries other than strawberries, such as blueberries and raspberries.
And my favorite thing about this place is there real fruit ice cream. Being vegan, I do not really get to each real fruit ice cream, so I was one happy human when I found out they had a dairy free real fruit ice cream. You choose the type of berry you want and they make magic happen. It is very delicious magic.
Ruakura Berry Shop is a great activity to do during a warm summer day. Enjoy picking strawberries out in the sun and then retreat to the shade for an ice cream treat. You can not really go wrong with that combo.
Things to know
Location: Ruakura Berry Shop, 11 Davison Road, Newstead 3286
Hours : 7 Days, 9am to 6pm. Though, pick your own berries is only available during the warmer months. Check there socials to find out if PYO is open.
Pets? No pets allowed in the berry fields. Because, you know, they might run a ruckus and eat all the berries.
Date friendly? Yes. This would make a great fun date - get to know each other over a bucket of strawberries and if things go well, you can feed each other strawberries later. Win win.
Kid Friendly? By it’s very definition, yes. This place is a paradise for kids. Ice cream, berries, a playground. It has it all really.
Instagramers? Oh. you bet. This is an Instagramers wet dream. You can frolic around the strawberry bushels, pose while picking some juicy fruit and smile so wide you look a tad insane. All in a days work.
Price: For PYO, it is $4 per person entry and then $10 per kilo of fruit picked.