About Tropical NZ

Welcome to our little piece of paradise! We’re lucky enough to call a 6-hectare horticulture block in Waipapa home, nestled in the beautiful Bay of Islands. Our neighbours are passionate growers too – you’ll find everything from sweet chestnuts and citrus to macadamia, kiwifruit, and avocados thriving in our fertile, volcanic soil.

We moved to this incredible spot in November 2021 and have been busy planting up areas into a food forest ever since. We’ve got a woodland that yields mushrooms during the cooler months, an established protea orchard, and 40 avocado trees.

But our real passion is finding and sourcing rare, exotic fruit trees that can thrive right here in NZ. We’re talking about exciting options like cassava, jackfruit, taro, soursop, mango, and pineapple. With increased interest in growing these tropical delights for both personal and commercial use, it’s thrilling to see fruits like bananas, pineapples, and even coffee being grown commercially in Northland.

So come and join us on this delicious journey – let’s explore the incredible variety of fruits that New Zealand climate can offer!

Anthony Blears (founder)

Anthony is a web developer who’s been in the business for over 20 years. He’s been automating businesses and managing ecommerce systems like a pro since before most of us knew what a website was.

But that’s not all that Anthony is about. He’s also a lover of exotic plants, especially the ones that thrive in warm, tropical climates. Maybe it’s because he’s originally from Wales, where it can get pretty cold, that he’s developed a fascination for all things warm and tropical (including his Brazilian wife). His passion for these plants has led him to obtain a Permaculture Design Certificate and his first project was converting 5 acres of degraded kikuyu paddocks in rural Kaitaia into a thriving, resilient food forest. Now living in the horticulture belt in Kerikeri, Anthony is starting another venture providing high-quality subtropical and tropical plants to the NZ market.

Anthony, owner

Anthony is a busy guy, and he’s not just focused on plants. He’s also the owner of several franchise businesses with catchy names like Barcodes Philippines, Philippine Barcodes, Barcodes Fiji, Comprar Códigos Brasil, Brasil Códigos, and Códigos de Barras Portugal, with good connections in those countries which, alongside his Brazilian wife who runs a companionship service for the elderly in Kerikeri, should see some really interesting exotics being imported into NZ.