Life's the Berries

AN AMERICAN-MEXICAN-NEPALESE ALLIANCE HAS CREATED AN ORGANIC BLUEBERRY FARM THAT OFFERS FAR MORE THAN JUST PICK-YOUR-OWN FRUIT

WORDS LEE-ANNE DUNCAN  PHOTOGRAPHS TESSA CHRISP

TAKE A LEFT off State Highway 2 at the nape of the Hutt Valley, well before the road climbs over the Rimutakas to the wine bounty of the Wairarapa, and a primeval river valley opens up. This is the Akatarawa Valley, home to Mandi Porta and her family and their blueberry farm. Mandi knew her life was destined to be on that road when she drove past, travelling south to Wellington in 2001. American Mandi, her Mexican husband David and then-three-year-old Sam (“made in Japan”) had not long arrived in New Zealand. They were packed into a campervan, taking a quick taste of what the country had to offer a young, enthusiastic trio of foreigners. “We drove past the turn-off to Akatarawa Road and I just felt a chill. We didn’t stop but I knew something important was down that road.”

It turned out she was right. Before long the family settled in Belmont, a few kilometres down the Hutt Valley towards Wellington, but three years after they arrived in New Zealand they became the farm’s proud owners. Four hectares of organic blueberry bushes, some river flat, a house and the ultimate lifestyle were theirs. They were already familiar with The Blueberry Farm because, like hundreds of other families, they had spent many fun-filled weekend hours there, picking fruit and enjoying a day in the sun. “I dreamed about owning the place. But we never thought that the owner would sell – why would he? We were considering buying the farm across the river when he did decide to sell and asked us if we were interested. Oh yes!”

It was a big step for a couple who, Mandi readily admits, knew nothing about farming. “What were we thinking? My dad was a great gardener but neither David nor I had any practical experience. I always used to say that I had vege-garden ADHD – I’d enthusiastically plant a garden but quickly lose interest and it would all go to seed.” Nima Sherpa, who tends the farm during the busy summer season, had worked for the previous owner. When he was a single man, Nima – who grew up in the Everest region of Nepal and worked with Sir Edmund Hillary – came to the aid of a Hutt Valley man, Bruce Austin. Nima was guiding Bruce and his wife Katie in the Himalayas when Bruce became ill. In thanks, the couple sponsored him to come to New Zealand. Nima still lives with them in nearby Te Marua although he has his own family now: wife LakPhutti, son Brucesonam and, since NZ Life & Leisure visited, new baby Nimasungae.

For Nima, farming organically is the only way he knows. “In my village we were all farmers. We all had to grow our own food to live. And no one sprayed – I’d never even seen chemicals. You’d have to walk three or four days to the city to buy them, so no one did.” For Mandi, too, straying from the organic path wasn’t an option. “We bought the farm for our family so the idea of spraying poison on the land that we use to raise food just didn’t make any sense.”

Mandi places enormous value on Nima’s knowledge and friendship but when she took over the farm he was on an extended trip home. She had to cope without him. “The first year on the farm without Nima was hard but I learned a lot. I had to! I read a lot of books about organic farming principles, permaculture and biodynamics. I also networked. I got certified by OrganicFarmNZ and I joined a ‘pod’ with other organic farmers where we review each other’s properties and share information. My philosophy with organic farming is that if something is dying, it’s dying for a reason and you have to find that reason and fix it or diversify and plant something else. In a lot of ways organic farming is less work, not more. For example, I started out being obsessive about weeds but now I’ve learned that most weeds – aside from the invasive ones – are helpful.”

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