From Garden to Table: Walter Peak's Sustainable Food Journey

Stepping off the historic TSS Earnslaw at Walter Peak High Country Farm, the first thing that strikes you isn't just the breathtaking scenery, but the pleasant aroma of fresh herbs and the sight of a flourishing vegetable garden stretching towards Lake Whakatipu. Welcome to RealNZ’s Walter Peak Garden to Table Experience, where every bite tells a story of sustainable living and connection to the land.

What to Expect: Your Garden to Table Experience

The Walter Peak Garden to Table Experience runs twice daily at 9am and 3pm from 1 December, beginning with the iconic cruise aboard the TSS Earnslaw.

On this tour you’ll get to witness both the classic charm of a vintage steamship cruise and hands-on exploration of sustainable food production. You'll wander through thriving vegetable gardens and orchards, taste fresh produce and local honey straight from the source, learn from expert horticulturists, plant your own native tree, and feast on seasonal platters featuring ingredients harvested just steps from your table.

Tour the Gardens with Experts

Meet resident horticulturist Paul and knowledgeable guides like Sonia alongside her faithful companion Kim, who will lead you through their impressive market gardens. You'll explore 12 dedicated vegetable beds and six tunnel houses where tomatoes, leafy greens, and sweet peas grow in a unique microclimate creating the perfect conditions for growing.

As you walk the rows, you'll discover how the team has created rich, healthy soil through careful composting and organic practices, producing three tonnes of nutrient-rich compost each month. But more importantly, you'll see, smell, and taste the results of vibrant vegetables and fresh fruit that travel straight from the garden to your plate.

Taste Seasonal Flavours from the Orchard

The diverse orchard showcases how much sustenance this special microclimate can produce. You'll sample seasonal fruits ranging from classic stone fruits like plums, apricots, and peaches to more surprising varieties including figs, pomegranates, quince, persimmons, and even limes. Each unique flavour demonstrates Walter Peak's commitment to testing boundaries while providing fresh, local produce for you to enjoy.

The crown jewel of the tasting experience is the honey made from beehives in the paddock, produced in collaboration with third generation beekeeper Nick from Buzz Stop. Served fresh while you’re sitting on bespoke timber stools made from evasive pines and crafted on-site, the honey captures the complex, sweet essence of mountain flora – a true taste of a place that perfectly embodies the garden to table philosophy.

Feast on Fresh Garden Platters

Your journey concludes in the potting shed, now a dedicated kitchen where the in-house chef creates seasonal platters showcasing the very best of what's growing in each season. Imagine courgettes picked that morning, fresh oregano from the herb garden, house-made pickled radishes, and chutneys crafted from the orchard's bounty.

This isn't just a meal but a culmination of everything you've experienced, where you can taste the difference that sustainable growing practices, local production, and passionate people make. With 10% of the fresh produce already supplied from Walter Peak's own market gardens (with plans to increase that percentage each season), every bite connects you directly to the land you've just explored.

Plant a Tree and Support Conservation

Your visit becomes part of Walter Peak’s larger conservation story when you choose and plant your own native tree that has been nurtured from young seedlings. These aren't just any seedlings, they're grown on-site from seeds collected at neighbouring stations, ensuring they're perfectly suited to the environment.

The reforestation project that began with removing invasive wilding pines has evolved into something special. Each native tree that you plant not only provides future habitat for New Zealand's unique birds, reptiles, and insects but also contributes to Walter Peak’s wider sustainability goals. It's conservation you can taste, touch, and be part of.

Your Connection to Conservation Continues

As Paul notes, "Conservation takes many years. We hope guests will return in years to come and show the next generation the progress made." Your planted tree becomes part of the reforestation project that will provide habitat for wildlife to thrive for generations to come. You’ll want to start planning a return to witness the lasting impact of sustainable practices on both the landscape and your dining experience.

Now’s your chance to taste the future of a thriving visitor destination, where every meal connects us more deeply to the land and every bite supports a more sustaining environment. At Walter Peak, the garden to table philosophy isn't just about fresh food; it's about cultivating a better relationship with this place that sustains us all.

The Walter Peak Garden to Table Experience runs daily through summer from 1 December. Discover how taste, sustainability, and conservation come together in one unforgettable lakeside journey here or learn more about Walter Peak’s mission to become Queenstown’s sustainable tourism destination.