A group of Merivale Primary School students found out where kiwifruit and avocados come from first-hand during an orchard and packhouse visit this week.
A tour for 22 students was hosted by Apata Ltd on Wednesday, October 28.

The Year 5 and 6 students visited a kiwifruit and avocado orchard and the Apata packhouse, where they learnt about all parts of the supply chain.
Merivale Primary is part of the Fruit in Schools programme and the visit was a chance to learn how some of the fruit they receive through the programme is picked, packed and transported. They also tasted avocados and different varieties of kiwifruit.
Apata communications manager Cassandra Thurston says the students asked lots of good questions.
'For the majority, if not all of the children, this was their first experience seeing fruit on the vines and on trees and their first visit to a packhouse,” says Cassandra.
'A lot of kids today think everything comes out of a packet, so it was good to get back to basics.”