YOUR INDUSTRY
Espalier white roses line the road frontage to Golden View Orchard
Golden orchardist brings unique fruit to Kiwis
COVER STORY
With the word ‘gold’ as part of his last name, perhaps Katikati orchardist Paul Goldsmith was always destined to become the grower of a rare gold fruit. By Elaine Fisher Paul is one of a small number of New Zealand orchardists growing gold passionfruit, in his case, a special hybrid variety, Passiflora edulis v. flavicarpa x edulis, grown and bred in his orchard where he also grows blood oranges. It has been a long and circuitous journey from Paul’s boyhood days in what was then the rural town of Papakura. Paul held a successful 45year career in hairdressing, including owning salons in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, until he later decided to spend his ‘retirement’ on a 1.5ha orchard in the
foothills of the Kaimai Ranges near Katikati – but that too seems almost preordained. “Papakura was a country town when I was young,” Paul says. “We spent our time biking all over the place, in the summer swimming and playing in local rivers and waterfalls. My aunt and uncle had a dairy farm we used to holiday at. They had the usual farmer’s home garden and fruit trees. I really enjoyed the time our family spent at that place. “Those good memories and being here are like the bookends to my life. I wanted to spend my later years
living a healthy, relaxing life in the country and I really wanted the challenge of doing something I’d never done before.” However, choosing to be a passionfruit and citrus grower and becoming owner, manager and sole full-time staff member hasn’t exactly been relaxing. “People ask me what it’s like growing passionfruit, on what some consider a hobby orchard, and I think a lot of growers would be familiar with that feeling.” Paul grows half a hectare of passionfruit vines under shelter on his property and a quarter of a hectare The ORCHARDIST : DECEMBER 2021 13