Another wintry day in the Waikato didn’t stop our Garden Circle from visiting The Olive Grove Earth & Clay House and Garden in Cambridge today. Formerly an old sand quarry, it is now a beautifully planted garden area. Our hostess, the very energetic Eunice Martin showed us through the different levels of flower gardens, trees, vegetables, fruit trees and an olive grove. Eunice’s husband, Peter, presses the olives they grow into oil using a handmade press… we all got to sample the end product and it was very good, but not for sale! They make just enough for family and friends. Eunice also grows and dries saffron, but again, only for personal use. Another point of interest on their property is their environmentally friendly house made of rammed earth that uses solar heating and solar tube lighting. The property was so vast that it took us quite while to walk through it. By the time we were done, the temperature had dropped quite a bit and we were all getting cold and were ready for a hot coffee! So, on to the Clock Shop Cafe in Ohaupo before heading home. Not a bad way to spend a cold afternoon. www.earthandclay.co.nz
The Olive Grove