2015 Kiwifruit Picking.

It is wet here today so we were very lucky with the fine weather yesterday when our whole kiwifruit crop got picked in a day.
 Although everyone was here bright and early 

the fruit and leaves were considered too wet, so picking didn't start till just after 10am.  Empty bins arrived and were unloaded.

Then some of the tractor drivers, truckies, R and R stood around putting the world to right ( as they do )

Once everyone got to work they got stuck in.

 The area closet to the camera has been picked and looks quite different from the fruit laden area.

 They worked in 2 gangs  each with 2 tractors. 

Here drivers Sam and Richard level the fruit on 3 full bins before they transport them up to the loading area.

It was looking as if we didn't have a chance of finishing in the day with 25 pickers when about 2.30 pm another gang who had finished elsewhere arrived and so we got there by 5.15 as the light was fading.

 The new gang had 4 lady pickers who work as hard as the men.

 They were a cheerful lot and there were no incidents or breakdowns all day.

 Colourful too.( notice the hands moving fast. )

 Meanwhile at the loading area Josh was putting the full bins onto the truck.

This is always a good sight ...a truck disappearing down the driveway with a full load .

 In the photo above( left ) you can see where I spent the day. At the table with bowls of fruit cleaning sooty mould off them. As the bins came to the loading area R and I quickly collected the biggest best fruit sitting on top that had sooty on them. I then cleaned them ( as I have been doing for some weeks now ). ( wet  cotton picking gloves and a tooth brush for around the calyx and a spray bottle of CP clean ) It is much quicker and easier when the fruit are already picked. We then feed them back into bins once cleaned. At one stage I took my wet cp clean soaked gloves off and this is how my hands looked.

 Today I have a couple of minor blisters. I probably saved a few hundred fruit from the reject bin.

 A very successful day We picked the largest amount of fruit ever, but know the pack out won't be good because of the sooty mould rejects.

 They pack house rang just now to say some is being packed during the night ...... 2 am and the rest tomorrow. That hasn't given it long to cure ( heal the picking scar ).( It's allowed up to, but no longer than 4 days by the rules )

We did a few jobs outside this morning before the rain set in and are being lazy for the rest of the day. We earned it!