Starting Fresh in Karamea

When Jackie Lee and Nate Christy stumbled across a West Coast orchard listed on Trade Me, they weren’t exactly looking to uproot their lives—but the opportunity proved too good to pass up.

“We came down to Karamea to check it out and just fell in love,” says Jackie. “It was beautiful, the climate was amazing, and we could see how well things would grow here. Plus, we were ready for a change—and Karamea definitely has its own pace. We liked that.”

Originally based in Whangārei, the couple had been involved in property development and running a small skincare business. Looking for a new challenge, they sold up and purchased Bakers Creek Orchard—becoming first-time orchard owners and relocating Jackie’s natural skincare company, Tahi Skincare, to the northern West Coast.

Jackie launched Tahi Skincare in 2016, creating oil-based blends in small batches using native New Zealand botanicals like kawakawa, mānuka, harakeke, and locally grown lavender.

“It started as me making everything by hand in small quantities, but now we’re ramping things up,” she says.

With demand growing, the couple is now working with a professional manufacturing partner and skincare specialists to refine their formulas and develop new products.

“The idea behind Tahi was always about simplicity—products with minimal ingredients that connect people to the natural healing properties of native plants. Now we’re working more closely with rural communities who grow these ingredients, and that’s something we really want to support.”

At the same time, they’ve been busy transforming the orchard. When they arrived, the property featured tamarillos, feijoas, limes, and a small number of blueberries. But after some trial and error, and a steep learning curve, they chose to focus fully on blueberries as their main crop.

“Farming has been a massive shift for us,” Jackie says. “We had no experience, and at first we thought we’d just continue what was already there. But we quickly realised we needed to make some big calls if we wanted it to be viable.”

And while rewarding, the transition hasn’t come without its challenges.

“Farming is risky and unpredictable. It’s physical, it’s demanding, and you have to make intuitive decisions every day. But it’s also incredibly rewarding.”

Jackie admits one of the biggest lessons has been patience—especially when growing two businesses from the ground up.

“Both the skincare and the orchard are still developing, but we believe in what we’re doing. The demand for natural products and fresh blueberries is growing, and we’re excited to be building something that reflects who we are, right here in Karamea.”