You can purchase prepacked cherries that are ready to go if you don't have time to pick your own cherries. There were also other stone fruit for sale when we were there in December. Depending on the month, there are different varieties of cherries available. There is no entry fee at Dam Good Fruit, but there is a minimum pick of 1kg per person at NZ$14 per kg. 

Cherry season in New Zealand runs from November to January

Cherry Ice Cream NZ$5

Before heading outside for some "intense" labor, we decided to treat ourselves with a freshly made cherry ice cream, and it was dam good delicious!

A map that shows where each variety is.

New York

Eventually we decided to start with New York, which had a light and refreshing taste. The taste varies by tree even for the same variety, so the staff advised us to try first before picking more from the same tree.


Some cherries were so ripe for the picking, they'd fall to the ground with a little shake.

Dawsons

Out of all the varieties we tried Dawsons was probably our least favourite. This is the kind you typically find at supermarkets. It had a really mild cherry flavour, and firmness was somewhere in between New York and Bigalease.

L: New York, M: Bigalease, R: Dawsons

Bigalease is probably the red wine in cherries, it has this dark rich taste that's full-bodied. The flesh was firm and had this nice crunch to it.


Sweetness level: 
New York 8/10
Dawsons 6/10
Bigalease 8/10

Website: http://www.damgoodfruit.co.nz/
Address: 216 Ripponvale Rd, Cromwell 9384, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Sun 8am-6pm
Phone: +64 3-445 0733