THE GROVE
DRY ROCK's 2,500 olive trees thrive on the stony soils,
cold winters, low rainfall and hot dry summers found around the Wairarapa
town of Martinborough to produce distinctive extra virgin olive oils with
remarkably low acidity.
The mainly Italian, Spanish and Israeli trees were planted on our eight
hectare property in 1997 and produced their first oil three years later.
DRY ROCK won its first award in 2001.
Owners Ian Stewart and Mary McCallum
In choosing to grow olives, we were inspired by our time
living in Greece and travelling in Spain, France and Italy, as well as
by the work of kiwi growers, Ian and Robyn Lockie who pioneered olive-growing
in the Wairarapa in 1992.
We manage the grove with the help of horticultural worker, Trudy, but
we like to think it's a family affair with our three children pulling
their weight in the harvests and during pruning. Certainly our extended
family - from grandparents to nieces - are all there at harvest time;
along with good friends who turn up year after year.
We also have shares in The Olive Press at Masterton, north of Martinborough,
and Ian is a director of the company.
How to find us
Over the Rimutaka hills, an hour out of New Zealand's capital
of Wellington, is a sweeping rural valley framed by mountains and the
sea called the Wairarapa. Dotted through the rivers and sheep pasture
you'll find olive groves, vineyards, apple orchards and berry fields.
The small town of Martinborough is the hub of olive and grape growing
in the Wairarapa. The DRY ROCK olive grove is eight kilometres south of
Martinborough on Pirinoa Road but is not yet open to tastings or oil sales.
1996 : DRY ROCK olive grove established
Shelter belts are planted (Layton's Green Cypress) around
the perimeter of the grove, a water bore drilled and a large historic
Barn moved on to the property and converted as a place for the family
to stay. Painted traditional barn red, the Barn initially dominates the
small trees planted around it, but by 2002 its view from the grove is
mostly obscured. It will always be the focus for life on the grove, and
for our family, which is why the Barn is in the logo designed for us by
Bill Carden-Horton of ottobrands. The series of dots around it indicate
the olive trees.
1997 : Olive trees planted
The main varietals we select for the grove are originally
from the traditional olive-growing countries of Italy, Spain and Israel.
There are also a small number of other trees including some which have
good pickling olives such as Kalamata and those which make good pollinators.
Most of the trees have been grown by Marlborough Olives in the South Island
and range from 30-50 centimetres high.
The ground is fertilised, ripped and holes augured to prepare for planting.
The 2,500 olive trees are planted in a 6m by 5m grid to allow room to
grow and tractors to mow between rows. The small trees are staked, protected
by plastic sleeves and irrigated. Regular maintenance includes spraying
weeds close to the trees, spraying the trees with copper to protect them
against infection, and cutting short the grass between rows.
The young trees find the strong north-westerly wind the hardest thing
to cope with and some, especially the fast-growing Barnea, are blown over.
But eventually all the trees are given bigger stakes which helps. More
shelter belts are planted within the grove to break the winds. The wind
has its benefits, however, as it keeps the trees free from bugs and fungal
infections.
2000 : The first oil
The first oil was produced in 2000, three years after planting,
and the output has grown incrementally since. After each pick, the trees
are pruned heavily by clipping back the main trunk which allows more light
to get to the olives while they're ripening. We have bought a number of
nets to deal with bird strike and discovered the need to watch for winter
drought (drier olives) and autumn frost (damaged olives).
Poem: Olive
Picking
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