The apple harvest runs from late February through May; this is when the town is at its liveliest, the orchards are open, and there is casual fruit-picking work for backpackers. Stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums) is earlier, from December into February. Cider releases tend to cluster around late autumn.
Winters here are cool and wet — the Preston Valley turns green and the orchards are bare. The town is quiet but the surrounding forests are at their best for walking, and the cellar doors stay open year-round.