(to the tune of Heartbraker by Pat Benatar)
Back-Breaking, Fruit Taking
Okay, I am being a bit melodramatic, but kiwifruit picking was, without question, the most physically demanding work I have ever done. Some days it really sucked, but I still loved it in that time and space. With the pandemic shutting basically everything down, I count myself very lucky that I was able to get a job in an "essential work" industry in one of the safest countries on the planet. Plus, it makes for a good story:
"Where were you when COVID-19 became a pandemic?"
"Oh, I was picking kiwifruit in New Zealand."
So what all does kiwifruit picking entail, Mathias? I'm glad you asked.
From the business side of things, our employer operated as a contractor; meaning we would travel around to different orchards throughout the season, pick all the fruit off the vines, then move on to the next one. Sometimes, we would do two orchards within one day. Other times, it would take 3-4 days for a single orchard. One of the great things about working for Packwork NZ was that they provided us transportation, picking us up right outside our house every morning for work. It was perfect for us because we didn't have to pay for gas or worry about getting to work. It was also great for our employer because they could guarantee they had "x" amount of pickers for the day and could more accurately estimate how long it would take to finish an orchard.
On to the actual fruit picking. Here's a better idea of what a kiwifruit orchard looks like.
Basically, our team of 12-15 people would line up horizontally and walk under the vines picking every fruit along on the way. We each had a picking bag that we would place the kiwis in. It takes around 200 kiwis to fill a bag to the brim, weighing up to 25 kg (55 lbs). Hence the back breaking. Once the bag was full, we would carry it to the nearest bin and *carefully* empty it. Emphasis on carefully because we would get penalized if we emptied our bags too quickly. Dropping the fruit too hard could bruise it and ruin an entire bin during shipment (approx. 3,500 kiwis).
---
For those unaware, there are actually two commonly grown species of kiwifruit: green and gold. Green is what we most commonly find in the grocery store in the US. Although, I had a few friends back home say they found gold kiwis in the store.
Let me tell you. There is a superior kiwifruit. And it ain't green. Not only are gold kiwis more dense with nutrients, they taste better! And they're soooo much easier to pick. They're slightly bigger fruit and the vines they grow on are not as chaotic. Just saying,
---
The orchard pictured above was one of the best that we picked in terms of physical characteristics: vines at a reasonable height, fruit ripe and easy to pick, and relatively flat. Sometimes we weren't so lucky.
Needless to say, I got in my fair share of squats. Again, the "back-breaking" is a bit much, but our shoulders and legs were sore for at least the first month. After our bodies got stronger and more used to the work, it became all mental.
One of the most mentally crushing things was night picking. We typically wouldn't find out if we were night picking until 4pm. The sun set around 5pm. This was typically because we picked so fast. No, seriously. Our teams picked faster this year than our employer was used to, so he'd over-estimate the number of days for an orchard. We'd have only 2-3 hours of picking left and be an hour drive away from the Mount, so it didn't make sense to come back the next day for only 2 hours of work. So we finished what was left. With headlamps. I will say, sometimes the orchard owners were so ecstatic that we were finishing a day early that they brought us all dinner and beer. That was pretty nice.
Slow mental fatigue also took its toll. There are only so many songs, podcasts, or conversations. Don't get me wrong. I had some great conversations and made great friends with my co-workers/quarantine family, but language barriers and social exhaustion inhibit day-long conversations for me. I was in my head a lot during the final weeks of kiwi picking. Some of it was healthy introspection that I enjoyed having and had been craving. But a fair amount was spiraling. Through this kiwi picking experience, I have learned, or rather confirmed, that I need intellectual stimulation. Without it, it is easy for me to feel lost, lonely, or just depressed, especially with all that is going on in this world.
Nevertheless, I wouldn't trade any part of that experience for being stuck in a hostel or Airbnb for one month without work. I was extremely lucky to have an income.
Picking by the Numbers
Our team of 12 set a company record of picking 1.75 bins per person per hour on one orchard. For reference, the industry standard is 1.2 bins per person per hour. 1.75 bins is approximately 6,125 kiwis. That's 102 kiwis per minute. 1.7 kiwis per second.
Shortest day: 2 hours of picking
Longest day: 13 hours of picking, 16 hours total
Longest work week: 8 days
Longest gap without work: 7 days
Furthest Orchard: 2 hour drive one-way
Closest Orchard: 20 minutes one-way
Bins picked by PackworkNZ all season: 10,800
Approximate total number of kiwis: 37,800,000
Approximate total number of kiwis picked by Mathias: 945,000
Dream Maker
All moaning and groaning aside, our employer took really good care of us. I heard horror stories from other backpackers trying kiwifruit picking and having barely any work, or getting stiffed on pay.
Kiwifruit picking was relatively lucrative. Being locked-down for a month definitely helped with the budgeting. I am thankful that I was able to save a hefty sum. It allowed me to afford a dream worthy road trip down to the South Island and some fun activities along the way that I will soon divulge :)
Fun Kiwifruit Facts
Despite the name, the kiwifruit actually originates from China and used to be called Chinese Gooseberries. Kiwifruit seeds were not introduced to New Zealand until 1904. When New Zealand began to export the fruit to the United States in the 1950s - during the height of the Cold War, the name "Chinese gooseberries" became a marketing nightmare. In 1959, the name was changed to "kiwifruit" and was later adopted throughout the worldwide industry (Source: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/the-chinese-gooseberry-becomes-the-kiwifruit).
Kiwifruit are one of the most nutrient-dense fruits out there. Based on 100 gram serving size, green kiwifruit have more Vitamin C than oranges and have double the nutrients of an apple (Source: USDA). So next time you are trying to kick the common cold, load up on some kiwifruit juice!
댓글