Bay Apples

The Apple Season

The apple season begins in February and lasts right through until mid-May. During this time different varieties are harvested, with some varieties such as Pacific Beauty and Royal Gala ripening earlier than varieties such as Tentation and Pink lady.

Apple Varieties

We have 12 apple varieties on our orchard:

Pacific Beauty

NZ Beauty is a cross between the Royal Gala and Splendour varieties and was first developed in Havelock North in the 1970’s. It is our earliest variety to be harvested in the season, from the 1st February through to the end of February. NZ Beauty is one of the larger sized varieties, with a sweet and juicy flavour.
Royal Gala

The Royal Gala variety is harvested from 12th February through to 10th March. They have a creamy yellow vertical stripe on their skin that streaks through the apple red and the flesh is a crisp white. The taste of the Royal Gala variety is sweet.
Jazz

The Jazz variety is a cross between the two popular varieties, Gala and Braeburn. It is harvested between mid-March and early April. With a creamy yellow flesh, the Jazz variety has a sweet taste to it with a hint of tart which comes from the Braeburn.
Pacific Queen

The NZ Queen variety is similar to the NZ Beauty variety, it is a cross also between the Royal Gala and Splendour varieties and has a similar taste. NZ Queen differs from the NZ Beauty variety in that it is harvested later in the season (from mid March to the end of March) and also in its appearance with a deep red coloured skin. This variety produces large sized fruit.
Fuji

Fuji is a Japanese variety that we grow and harvest from the end of March to the end of April. The appearance of the Fuji variety can range from vertical pink stripes to a full red coat. Fuji apples have a super-sweet taste.
Braeburn

The Braeburn variety is harvested from the 20th March to 15th April. The Braeburn has a colourful appearance with streaks of red on a orangey yellow base. The taste of a Braeburn is sweet with a slightly tart flavour.
Pacific Rose

NZ Rose is harvested from the 25th March through to the end of April. It has a rosey pink skin and is sweet and juicy.
Granny Smith

The Granny Smith variety is green with white speckles on the skin and has a tart almost acidic-like taste to it which makes a change to the other sweet varieties. It is harvested in the later part of the season, from the beginning of April to 10th May. It is one of the oldest varieties.
Tentation

The Tentation variety comes from France and is relatively new after being discovered in 1990. It is harvested in NZ from the 20th March to 15th April. The Tentation variety has a green to orange coloured skin, each bite is intensely aromatic with a superb crispness.
Pink Lady

The Pink Lady requires alot of care to grow as it takes longer to mature than other varieties, making it our last variety to harvest in the season from 20th April to 10th May. The Pink Lady variety is highly marketed. It has a sweet/tart taste with a slight ‘fizz’ in the after taste.
Breeze

Breeze is an exciting new early season apple discovered in New Zealand. It is most attractive with a bright pink gloss colour and crisp white flesh, tasting sweet, fruity and aromatic.