One of the biggest cocoa producers in Samoa has seen a huge surge in orders and says they're from Samoans abroad wanting a taste of home.

It's been cold and miserable in Taranaki where farmers are heads down, tails up calving and farmers would quite like some sunshine in Southland to help lift spirits.

Country Life this week learns about gumboot throwing and meets an award-winning Taihape local who promotes the sport. The show also takes you to a farm in Duntroon in North Otago. Millions of years ago whales and dolphins used to swim where sheep and cattle now graze and their fossilised remains can be found in the cliffs on the farm.

A Bluff-based operation is farming cocktail-sized pāua using the pristine waters of Foveaux Strait. The New Zealand Abalone Company (TNZAC) is hoping to sell two million of the mini pāua every year.

It's taken years for a team of dedicated Kurow locals to transform an island in the braids of the river from a messy landfill into a recreational and ecological park.

It's hoped the newly opened Southern Pioneers' Food Hub will help launch products developed from Southland's food bounty to the world.

The sap seems to be flowing a little earlier than normal in a Gisborne vineyard and sheep farmers in Central Otago are busy pre-lamb shearing but it's been hard keeping yards dry.

A team of Kurow locals transform an island in the braids of the Waitaki River from a messy landfill into a recreational and ecological area for people, wildlife and the environment. Farming mini paua, and developing new Southland food products for the world .

Lord Havoc has a passion for pigs. Ian Jackson runs the Havoc Pork free range piggery in South Canterbury. Sows at the outdoor farm spend their days fossicking for roots, grubs and worms while their litters play until mum calls them back for feeding.

Budou table grapes can fetch up to $160 a bunch in Japan. Third generation grape grower Tetsuya Higuchi is growing the enormous, sweet, picture-perfect Japanese style grape in Hawke's Bay. The grapes are trained and pruned quite differently from wine grapes and wear little umbrellas to protect them before harvest.