Kevin Jackson, who owns Jacksons Orchard, said the first picking was likely to take place on November 18-20.
The two early varieties were a bit lighter than usual, due to poor pollination; as the lingering wintry weather meant fewer bees were out and about.
The later varieties, ready just before Christmas, look to be excellent crops, Mr Jackson said.
The weather is not causing any grief for the cherries although Mr Jackson agreed there could be a problem if there were any hailstorms.
The two early varieties will be sold throughout the South Island.
North Islanders will get their cherries from Blenheim which usually picks about the same time, Mr Jackson said.
He said it was interesting to see people getting very excited about the first crops for the season and then when the Christmas crops were picked, which were much larger and probably more tasty, people wondered what the early fuss had been about.
Cherries were not a well known fruit in the North Island in the early days and Mr Jackson recalls his father, Len Jackson, beginning what was to be a new taste for the North Island.
He sent a box of cherries to a reporter working in Auckland and the reporter wrote about how good cherries were for people's health and how every family should make sure they had a box of cherries for Christmas.
That led to a huge demand for cherries in the north and Mr Jackson recalls his father chartering DC3s or Bristol Freighters from National Airways Corporation (NAC) to ferry the cherries to market in Auckland.
He remembers going to the Alexandra Airport early in the morning.
The Bristol Freighters could carry 12 tonnes but the DC3s were only capable of carrying about four tonnes even after they had taken the seats out, Mr Jackson said.
Boxes of cherries were sent to the North Island for many years, he said.
