A 90-year-old Tauranga man has uncovered two 'perfectly preserved” cakes dating back nearly 20 years – and he's happily eating them.

Derek ‘Dick' Read discovered the cakes this week while cleaning out his shed. He tells me the cakes were 'nicely packed away” by his wife when he went on a trip to Europe in 2009.

By then, they were already at least four years old.

'When I found the cakes, my first thought was, ‘well I can't let these go to waste',” says Dick.

They're Lion's Club Christmas Cakes – a festive treat available once a year which gives back money to charity. The official website says the cake is a 'nation-wide favourite".

The sliced 18-year-old Christmas cake. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive.

'Moist, fruity, delicious. Enjoy it now, at Christmas, next year or the next,” it reads.

As Dick offers me a piece, I come to realise we're about to enjoy the cake 16 Christmases after its best before date, on an otherwise standard autumn afternoon.

It smells and looks okay, but as I pick it up I am reminded of a line on the website.

'Our cake has a shelf life of no less than two years.”

Attempting to buy some time, I reminded Dick I was about six years of age when this cake was baked, and about eight when it officially expired.

If this cake were a person, it could legally drink and vote.

'Well, are you going to try it?” he responds.

The August 2007 best before date was glaring at me, but I couldn't let Dick down.

The best before date of August 2007 was slightly unappetising. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive.

After taking a bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It's a bit chewier than you'd expect, but the fruity, rum flavor holds up well, even after nearly 20 years.

Before I could even come to terms with what I had just eaten, Dick says something, almost proudly.

'It's a true testament to how good those Lion's Club cakes are. They're very well packed in cellophane, not just thrown together in someone's kitchen,” he adds.

'I have a lot of experience with these cakes. When I was living in Tokoroa about 30 years ago, my wife moved to Tauranga three years before I was ready to move, so I started packing my work lunch every day.

'At the time in Tokoroa's New World, I bought about 48 of these cakes sometime after Christmas. It meant I was able to put in a slice with my lunch every day for three years.”

It was at this moment I realised I was possibly face to face with New Zealand's number one Christmas cake fan.

Dick says he is a big fan of Christmas cakes. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive.

'I used to work 28 days a month at the time. These cakes kept me going every day along with my sandwiches.”

When asked what makes him such a fan of Christmas cakes, Dick says they both remind him of his wife's cooking, and where he grew up in East Anglia.

'Fruit cakes are a tradition in England, especially around Christmas time. They're one of my favourites."

Dick is a self-proclaimed hoarder. He says his favourite things to do involves tinkering and fixing up things he finds or buys around town, which has led to a massive "collection" he has been clearing out.

I was curious to know what his family and wife think of his collecting habit.

'They say it's not good, but they laughed and laughed when I told them about the cakes,” Dick chuckles.

Despite his hoarding habit not being universally loved, Dick says 'keeping interested and invested” in hobbies is the secret to his long and healthy life.

'Just keep interested in things. It doesn't matter if it's watching ants. Just keep busy and keep interested, and keep active.”