Waiheke Food Map
Growing community
Seasonal foraging at your fingertips…
Hundreds of fruit trees were planted on publicly accessible land thanks to the Love Our Fruit Trees project funded by the Waiheke Local Board in 2014 – 2016. The island also has plentiful foraging spots for olives, nuts, herbs and more.
The Waiheke Food Map has been created to display all surviving trees, foraging spots, food hubs and community gardens. By sharing locations and fruiting seasons, we hope that Waiheke residents and visitors make use of these amazing resources to boost food resilience on the motu.
Waiheke Food Map
How to find spots
Navigate around the map below to see public foraging spots, community gardens and food hubs. Click on an icon for the exact address and to see what’s at each location. Small icons are not currently in season.
When to visit
The map lists public foraging spots that are accessible 24/7. If you are visiting a community garden or food hub, there will be specific opening hours listed once you click on an icon.
What to do
Be considerate, and if you’re collecting fruit from someone’s berm, think about bringing them a jar of preserves as a thank you for caring for the tree. You can also gather any fallen/rotting produce and compost it at home so the rats don’t get to them.
Etiquette and usage tips
When using the map to forage, we recommend doing the following:
- Use the arrow on the top left to see all of the varieties listed on the Food Map.
- Switch to satellite imagery view by clicking on the square at the bottom left of the map once you’ve zoomed in close so you can see exactly where the location is in relation to the street, bush, houses etc.
- Be thoughtful; if you visit a location and the fruit isn’t ripe yet, don’t pick it.
- Be kind; don’t strip a tree, consider gifting some to friends, and tidy up any fallen fruit.
Lastly, if you visit a location and find that the foraging spot is no longer there, or that it has been incorrectly labelled, please get in touch. Similarly, if you spot an error on the map, let us know.
Related resources
Kai Conscious Café
Visit the Sustainability Centre on a Friday and join the shared lunch prepared by our Kai Conscious cooks using rescued food from stores and eateries across Waiheke. Donate what you think it is worth, or what you are able, and contribute to reducing food waste and food poverty in our community.
Community fridge and pantry
The community fridge and pantry is just outside the Sustainability Centre door and it is open to all, 24/7. The Kai Conscious team stocks it with rescued food from local supermarkets and eateries several times a week. We also welcome any donations of surplus garden produce or food – pop them straight in! They are greatly appreciated by the community.
Kai Gardens
Kai Gardens is a demonstration space at the front of the Sustainability Centre where we grow edible plants in raised beds and run composting workshops. We also have a greenhouse out the back where all our seasonal seedlings are raised and sold. The project supports food resilience and education on Waiheke, providing practical skills skills in growing food at home.
Waiheke Budgeting Services
Waiheke Budgeting Services run the only dedicated foodbank on Waiheke. Over the last few years demand for this service has grown, and the last 12 months has seen an unprecedented number of requests for help. You can support the food bank by donating to Budgeting Services directly.
Food resilience initiatives
There’s lots happening in the food resilience space on Waiheke. Download our PDF which summarises opportunities to get involved in your area, including contact information, social media links and locations. You’ll find some of our projects on the list, as well as many more!
NZ Food Share Map
The Pātaka Kai Open Street Pantry Movement is a resident led, grassroots, crowd sourced solution to immediate and local need, rescuing food and encouraging the co-sharing between neighbours to strengthen communities. Foraging locations and pātaka kai across Aotearoa are displayed on the NZ Food Map, so if you’re leaving Waiheke or just visiting the island, take a look for hundreds of other locations to share kai.