Fairview Orchard owner Stephen Jeffery said he could not remember a summer that had been so hot and dry, which meant juicy, tasty fruit.
The only flaw in an otherwise perfect season was the light apricot crop on orchards around Coal Creek. That went back to a poor set in the spring, but the crop itself provided excellent fruit, Mr Jeffery said.
Peaches, nectarines, apples and plums were still being picked at Fairview.
The summer was great in Cromwell as well and Molyneux Orchard general manager Tim Jones said they had picked more cherries than had been expected and there were ‘‘not too many problems with labour''.
Apricots were pretty much as expected and prices were good, although there had been some pressure in the middle of the season,'' he said.
Summerfruit manager Ian Nicholl at Earnscleugh agreed this season was much better than last year's.
Despite concerns about a shortage of labour, Mr Nicholl said they had sufficient labour most of the time and particularly at crucial times.
He said packers and pickers all left very happy, and that meant they would be keen to return next year.
The cherries and apricots were of excellent quality, although the US dollar provided some headaches.
‘‘The dollar has a big impact on our business and all the markets were against us this year except for Australia,'' he said.
Jackson's Orchard also had a great season. Tonnage was up and the rain at Christmas came at the end of the cherry season and there had been no rain to speak of since then, office manager Jill Mansell said.