From Shanghai to New Zealand Kiwifruit Orchards: A Journey of Grit and Growth
Staff Writer: Yiyi Xie
Image Source: supplied
For 447 days, Shanghai girl Xiaoyu embraced the work-hard, play-hard lifestyle in New Zealand, earning over 300,000 RMB after taxes during her Working Holiday. What started as a leap into the unknown became a transformative experience of growth, challenge, and self-discovery.
When I first reached out to Xiaoyu for an interview, her modesty was striking: “Why would anyone want to interview me?” she asked, genuinely surprised. She saw her experience as ordinary, with plenty of backpackers earning more than she had. But what she didn’t realize was that her journey—from quitting a high-paying job in China to embracing physical labor in New Zealand’s kiwi orchards—was anything but ordinary.
“At 30, I Quit My High-Paying Job”
Before embarking on her Working Holiday in New Zealand, Xiaoyu had spent most of her life in Shanghai, working as a project manager in the booming electric vehicle industry.
In 2022, as Shanghai was swept up in pandemic lockdowns, Xiaoyu found herself buried under relentless work pressure, juggling local and international projects. There were weeks when she barely slept 20 hours. Despite the promise of a bright career and a stable life, something felt missing.
On her 30th birthday, she made a bold decision: she quit her job.
Determined to fulfill a dream she’d had since she was 24, Xiaoyu set her sights on a working holiday in New Zealand. “I had spent my whole life being the good student, the good daughter, the good employee,” she said. “Now I just wanted to be me.”
Though she had traveled solo to New Zealand in 2019, this time was different. Leaving behind her stable life in China for an uncertain adventure was a leap of faith. Her mother initially resisted, urging Xiaoyu to settle down and follow the traditional path. But after hearing her daughter’s heartfelt reasoning, she relented: “Go ahead, treat it as a year-long break.”
And so, on October 18, 2022, Xiaoyu boarded a flight to Auckland, ready to begin her adventure.
Tough Beginnings in Te Puke’s Kiwifruit Orchards
Te Puke, a small town on New Zealand’s North Island, is known as the kiwifruit capital of the world. It’s also a backpacker’s hub, where travelers from all over the globe come to work.
Xiaoyu’s working holiday journey began with tough physical labor in the kiwifruit orchards. She quickly cycled through tasks like thinning, pruning, picking, and packing—each job more physically demanding than the last.
Her first job, thinning kiwifruit buds, required her to stand on her tiptoes, arms raised for hours, straining her neck as she worked. It was grueling, but Xiaoyu pressed on, determined to prove to herself that she could endure the challenge.
As the kiwifruit season progressed, Xiaoyu’s workload increased. By day, she lugged 25 kg sacks of fruit across the orchards; by night, she packed kiwifruit in factories, sometimes working back-to-back shifts with barely 3–4 hours of sleep.
Though the work was physically punishing, Xiaoyu thrived. She became known as one of the fastest workers in the orchard, earning the nickname “work machine.” At the peak of the season, she was pulling in $9,558 NZD a month after taxes—a staggering 42,000 RMB.
By the end of the season, Xiaoyu had earned $24,000 NZD in just 80 days of work.
Balancing Work and Well-Being
While Xiaoyu’s determination and work ethic were remarkable, the intense pace took a toll on her health. At one point, she lost so much weight, prompting her mother—10,000 kilometers away—to express concern.
Online, some criticized her for pushing herself too hard, saying she was burning out. Xiaoyu took the feedback in stride. “They’re not wrong,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t recommend working like that to anyone. It’s hard on the body.”
Still, Xiaoyu had always been fiercely independent. From a young age, she’d been used to doing things on her own. That same drive had pushed her to pursue her working holiday dream, even when others doubted her.
Her mother, though far away, remained her emotional anchor. The love and belief her mother had in her gave Xiaoyu the strength to keep going.
As Xiaoyu’s story gained attention online, she realized the impact her story had on others. Some told her that her posts inspired them to embark on their own adventures. The sense of responsibility made Xiaoyu more mindful of her words, ensuring that she shared both the highs and lows of her experience.
“Picking kiwifruit can be high-paying,” she said, “but the physical strain is something you can’t fully grasp until you’ve lived it.”
A New Chapter in Australia
In January 2023, Xiaoyu’s New Zealand working holiday came to an end, and she embarked on the next phase—Australia. But even as she traveled and worked thered, her heart remained in New Zealand.
“I miss New Zealand’s nature and the sense of peace I felt there,” she said. One time, after working late in Sydney, she impulsively bought an early-morning flight back to Auckland, just so she could spend two days on the North Shore beach.
Although she’s currently in Australia, Xiaoyu is already planning a return to New Zealand. She’s applied for a master’s degree at a New Zealand university, hoping to fulfill another long-held dream of studying abroad.
Will she settle in New Zealand for good? Xiaoyu isn’t sure. “There’s still so much of the world I haven’t seen yet,” she said. “But New Zealand taught me one important lesson: to live life on my own terms.”
And for now, that’s exactly what she’s doing.
