Our Gisborne Adventure- Spraying, Trellising , OJ and More

There’s something special about a road trip to Gisborne—especially when it involves citrus trees, industry camaraderie, and great liquid refreshments, more about this in our next blog. This year’s journey was one for the books, and we’re excited to share the highlights with our Citrus Direct community.

A Rainy Gorge and a Miraculous Escape
Our trip began with a slow, scenic drive through the stunning Waioeka Gorge. We were towing a horse float packed with citrus trees for local customers, and the rain required a slower pace. We are so thankful that it did because it proved lifesaving. A car lost control rounding a corner, swerved fully onto our side of the road, veered back, and plunged down the bank toward the river. We turned the vehicle around, (difficult to find somewhere to do this) expecting the worst—but by some miracle, the driver had steered into the bush and emerged completely unharmed. She hitched a ride with us back to Gisborne, and we were reminded how precious—and unpredictable—life on the road can be.

Photo Above: Where the car went off. It was still down the bank when we went home 2 days later.

 Citrus NZ AGM & Industry Awards
This year, Citrus NZ swapped its usual multi-day conference for a streamlined Friday event: the AGM, a workshop, and the industry awards dinner. It was a great format—less time away from our orchards but still packed with value. We caught up with old friends, met new citrus enthusiasts, and soaked up the buzz of shared passion.

Ormond Hospitality & Orange Juice Heaven
We stayed at The Shed-Orchard Retreat (airbnb.co.nz) in Ormond, and it was fantastic. Waiting in the fridge was Hill Rd orange juice which is made on site. It is hands down the best commercial OJ in New Zealand (in our humble opinion!). 

The view of the orange orchard from the deck of the apartment was wonderful, especially with the setting sun, and the bed was so comfy we missed the AGM. Fortunately, we made it just in time for a fantastic workshop on spray optimisation.

Photo Above: The deck of The Shed- Orchard Retreat

Smart Spraying Tips for Citrus Growers

We’re big believers in minimal, natural spraying, so this session was right up our alley. Here are a few key takeaways:

1. Choose a sprayer suited to your tree count—no need for petrol-powered gear if you’ve only got a couple of trees.
2. A 2L pump spray bottle is perfect for 1–2 small trees.
3. Ensure coverage reaches the tops and both sides of leaves.
4. Aim for even coverage that drips off the leaves.
5. Regularly check spray nozzles for blockages.
6. If you use a water pump, clean and backwash the filter often.
   

Photo Above: A larger industrial orchard sprayer that we looked at.

Trellising Citrus: A New Frontier
Next, we visited an exciting citrus trellising trial, the first in NZ. The growers—already pros with Rockit apples—are adapting their system for citrus, and the results are stunning. These plantings are only about 2 yrs old so are still have a couple of years to go to reach their final height. While commercial trellising can reach up to 4m, we’re advocates for a 2m to 2.5m version in home gardens. Citrus trees thrive against sunny walls, and trellising not only can boost fruit production, it also adds serious aesthetic appeal. We took heaps of photos and left buzzing with ideas.

Photo above: trial of trellised lemon trees

Orchard Wanderings & Citrus Colour Magic
Back at The Shed, we wandered through a vibrant orchard filled with Navel and Valencia oranges, variegated Eureka lemons which are also known as pink lemons, Finger Limes, and Blood Oranges. Gisborne’s colder winters give Blood Oranges a deeper, richer red than we see in the Western Bay of Plenty. We wish we could grow them this red at home.

Photo Above: Moro Blood Oranges

Te Radar & A Night of Laughs
The awards dinner was a fun way to end a successful day. The host was the entertaining Te Radar. His tales from his “Cookbookery” show had us in stitches—who knew we used to eat such questionable things in the 70s and 80s? It was a night of celebration, connection, and citrus pride.

Thanks for following our journey! Whether you’re a seasoned grower or a citrus-curious newcomer, we hope this glimpse into Gisborne’s citrus scene inspires you to keep growing, experimenting, and connecting.