Release date: 3 August, 2022. Published by Kaipatiki Community Facilities Trust. 32pp. ISBN: 9780473642709

Though only a small area, Birkdale / Beach Haven has rich local history. For Maori, the bush and waters around this peninsula provided a bountiful supply of seasonal food. Later, the hard-working and innovative fruit growers were renowned for producing New Zealand’s best strawberries. Birkdale is also where the first wooden strawberry chips (punnets) were made.
In this book, Birkdale author and historian, Matt Elliott, combines oral history, old and new photographs, detailed explanations of the strawberry industry and activities to help school children step back in time.

Target readership: Years 6-9.

PDF copy soon to be available from kcft.org.nz