Ordering kūmara tupu

About the tupu 

The tupu are grown in Hokianga by Joseph and Catherine Land and packaged and sent out by Gail and John Aiken of Winding River Homestead. More about Winding River Homestead here.

Although Winding River Homestead is a relatively new entity we have been growing and sending kūmara tupu to customers all over Aotearoa for many years so have a lot of experience. The exact timing of the kūmara send out varies from year to year but it generally starts in early October and ends at the end of November/ beginning of December.

How to order 

All orders are to be placed via the website  Before the send out starts all varieties will show as ‘out of stock’ and will remain that way until we are sure of the first pick and we have a clearer idea of availability. Prior to the send out starting the waiting list function can be used for any varieties that you are interested in and you’ll be informed when they are available to order.

Because the tupu grow and regrow at different rates, and because we want customers to be able to make best use of their freight costs, we are operating a pre-order system. This means that not all orders placed will be sent immediately. We can only pick and pack so many tupu each week and some varieties are slower to grow and to regrow than others. Some orders will be held in our system until the tupu are available which may be a few weeks. Some varieties are very popular and, so that more people can grow them, we have reduced the bundle size to 10 tupu and have limited them to one bundle per order. Despite this they may sell out quickly. If this happens please use the waiting list function again for that variety as it is likely that more will become available later in the season although we can’t guarantee that we will meet all of the demand for every variety.

There is plenty of time to get kūmara planted though so please be patient! We will be sending out orders through October and November and hope to make more tupu available as the send out progresses. When your parcel is sent you will receive tracking information so you’ll know it’s on it’s way.

The timing of your order being sent

Obviously we don’t know the current weather in your area, what your particular micro climate is, whether you experience late frosts, whether you have frost cloth or are planning to grow the kumara under cover. If you don’t want your kumara to be posted until after a particular date due to your circumstances then please write that in the order notes at checkout.

Possible substitutes

If you are willing to accept substitutes if there is a delay with any of the varieties you have ordered then please use the “order notes” section at checkout to indicate acceptable substitutes.

Freight charges 

It is essential that orders reach our customers as quickly as possible so all orders are sent as tracked courier parcels with NZ Post. Sadly freight charges are not cheap but the charges reflect the actual cost of postage and the system that we use is tracked and gives the best chance of parcels arriving quickly so that the tupu arrive in good condition.

Please make sure that you give your accurate postal address including RD number so that there are no delays when posting out.

Live in Hokianga or Kaikohe and don’t want to pay for freight?

We are happy to try to arrange collection for locals. Please order and pay as usual, including freight charges. Please indicate in the order notes that you would prefer to collect and, as long as we can make suitable arrangements, we will refund your freight charge after collection has happened. If suitable arrangements can’t be made we will post your order out.

What to do when the parcel arrives 

Kūmara tupu are perishable items and we strive to package them well and to get your kūmara order to you as quickly as possible. However, once they have left us we have no control over the progress of your parcel or how it is treated, and sometimes they will have wilted on their journey. Having said that, the tupu are remarkably resilient and it is relatively easy to revive them.

Upon receipt please open the parcel as soon as possible and unwrap the bundle(s) of tupu. Please stand the bundles in a cool shady place with the tupu roots in a few cm of water to revive for a day or so. If there is any delay beyond this in planting out then please continue to store them in this way and make sure that they do not dry out. It is also important to make sure that only the rooted section of the stem is in the water as any leaves will tend to rot if submerged. 

When planting out remove any dead leaves. You’ll find information on growing kūmara on our website.