Intentional Beekeeping
Exceptional honey doesn't happen by accident.
Long before we harvest a jar, we're thinking about where our bees will live, what they'll forage on and what they may be exposed to.
We look at the history of potential hive sites. We avoid using glyphosate around our apiaries and weed-whack instead of spraying. We carefully choose the treatments we use in our hives.
And we're prepared to take bees into isolated country when we believe it's a better place for them.
It's harder work.
We think our bees are worth it.
New Zealand Honey Simply The Best
Our journey with bees began in 2014, learning alongside whānau in Omanaia, Hokianga. What started there grew into a love of beekeeping that we brought with us to the Coromandel.
Today, our hives sit among the landscapes around Whangamatā, where an abundance of flowering native bush gives our bees plenty to explore. Mānuka, kānuka, kāmahi, pohutakawa and countless other flowers come into bloom through the seasons, creating honey that carries a little of the Coromandel landscape in every jar.
Coastal Honey Collection Only $6.50 shipping for 1st item, 2nd item add only $3.50!
Coastal Bush Honey 1kg
$20.00Smooth and creamy Coromandel honey! This honey will be a hit with kids and adults alike!QuantityAll options are out of stock
Good Honey Is Worth Waiting For
Our honey has sold out for now, but our bees are busy gathering nectar for the next harvest.
We'd love to let you know when fresh honey is available again.
Leave your details below and we'll be in touch when it's ready.
Gallery
Life with the bees.
. New Zealand . Raw . Coastal Honey .
Let's talk about Manuka Honey!
Every Harvest Tells a Different Story
Each honey is unique and so are you, celebrate it!
Our honey is never quite the same. Each year brings a different flavour, a different colour and a new expression of the landscape our bees call home.
Much like fine wines, honey reflects the seasons, the weather and the flowers that bloom around our hives. Some harvests are light and delicate, while others are rich, golden and full of character.
From our family apiaries across the Coromandel Peninsula, we celebrate these natural differences. We don't believe honey needs to taste the same every year. Its changing character is part of what makes each harvest special.
The Flowers Behind Our Honey
Every jar reflects the flowers available to our bees when the nectar was gathered.
The native forests and coastal landscapes of the Coromandel Peninsula provide an extraordinary variety of flowering plants for our bees.
Among these are three distinctive New Zealand natives: mānuka, kānuka and kāmahi. Each contributes its own character to the honey produced in our region.
Mānuka — Leptospermum scoparium
Mānuka is a hardy native shrub or small tree, recognised by its small, pointed leaves and delicate white flowers, occasionally tinged with pink.
When mānuka flowers, bees visit its blossoms to collect nectar. Honey derived from mānuka can have a rich, distinctive flavour, with earthy, herbal and sometimes slightly bitter notes.
The flowering season varies with location and weather conditions, making every harvest dependent on nature's timing.
Kānuka — Kunzea species
Kānuka is another familiar sight across New Zealand's native landscapes. Often taller than mānuka, it produces masses of small white flowers that provide nectar for visiting bees.
Kānuka honey can have a delicate sweetness and a distinctive floral character, although its flavour and appearance vary between harvests.
Mānuka and kānuka often grow in the same landscapes, allowing bees to forage across both species when their flowering periods overlap.
Kāmahi — Weinmannia racemosa
Kāmahi is a native forest tree found throughout much of Aotearoa, including the Coromandel Peninsula.
Its branching clusters of small, creamy flowers provide nectar for bees during flowering.
Kāmahi honey is often recognised for its golden colour, aromatic character and smooth, rich flavour. It can also develop a naturally fine crystalline texture.
These three native plants are part of the remarkable floral diversity that shapes our seasonal honey.
Why Honey Changes Each Season
The landscape changes, the flowers change, and naturally, so does our honey.
Bees don't follow a recipe. They follow the flowers.
Every season brings its own combination of rainfall, sunshine, wind and flowering conditions. Some years, mānuka may flower abundantly. In others, kānuka, kāmahi or other nectar-producing plants may make a greater contribution.
Even apiaries within the same region can produce noticeably different honey, depending on their surrounding vegetation and the timing of flowering.
These natural variations influence the colour, aroma, flavour and texture of each harvest.
Honey may range from pale gold to deep amber, with flavours that can be delicate, floral, earthy or richly aromatic.
For us, this seasonal diversity is something to appreciate rather than standardise.
