FREE EVENT
 

Sunday 6, 13 and 20 October, 2pm-3.30pm

Birkenhead  Village presents: 

Did you know that Birkenhead Bourough 1888,( 2nd oldest on the Shore next to Devonport) was the Fruit Bowl of Auckland?

As part of Birkenhead Bourough Strawberry-land: Birkdale's horticultural past was key.

This walk starts and ends at the Birkdale Primary School gates

Corner Birkdale and Salisbury roads, Birkdale
 

Birkdale was once renowned for producing New Zealand's best strawberries.

Author and historian Matt Elliott guides the walk around this North Shore suburb.

Hear about the old strawberry and fruit days - from planting, picking and carting produce to market, to the 'root disease' problems of the 1930s. And how Birkdale's farming landscape declined when the Harbour Bridge opened.

Matt will also talk about the innovative grower James Levesque. Born in St Heliers in the Channel Islands, he moved to New Zealand in the late 1800s.
 

The walk takes approx 90 minutes and includes one steep hill!

Suitable for 10 years and older.

Weather permitting.