New Zealand Native Honey

The New Zealand Native Forest is uniquely diverse. Of the many Native trees, some produce flowers with an abundance of nectar. Each one with a unique flavour.

Somewhat overshadowed by Manuka Honey, these other New Zealand Native honey are well worth a taste. You will not be disappointed.

Rata Honey

Northern Rātā (Metrosideros robusta) often begins life as an epiphyte. The host tree is usually Rimu. The resulting tree can grow to a massive 25m tall.

Southern Rātā (Metrosideros umbellata) grows up to 15 metres (49 ft) or more tall. Unlike its relative, northern rata, this species rarely grows as an epiphyte.

The rare and brilliant scarlet coloured Rata tree flowers only blossom every few years. When it does it produces masses of red flowers.

Rata honey is very light in colour, and has a distinctive silky smooth buttery texture with a fruity aroma. The exceptional quality and delicate taste of this remarkable honey makes it one of the finest and rarest Honey in the world.

 

Kanuka Honey

Kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) is a spreading shrub or tree, sometimes growing to a height of 18 m (60 ft) with bark which peels in long strips and young branches which tend to droop.

The flowers are white or pale pink, crowded on side branches or in the axils of upper leaves.

Kanuka is a sweet honey with an aromatic butterscotch taste similar to that of its Cousin Manuka. It is a buttery light colour.

Kanuka Honey, like its cousin Manuka is known for its unique natural chemical properties (High in 3-Phenyllatic acid).  Each pot of Mountain Gold Kanuka Honey contains at least 1000 mg of 3-PLA per kg of Kanuka Honey.

Kamahi Honey

Kāmahi (Weinmannia racemosa), is an evergreen small shrub to medium-sized tree. It is the most abundant forest tree in New Zealand, occurring in lowland, montane, and subalpine forests and shrub land from the central North Island south to Stewart Island.

Kāmahi bears racemes of small, pink or white flowers from July to January.

An intense strong, complex, flavour sensation. Kamahi Honey is perfect for adding to recipes. Pale and beautifully buttery golden in colour. It's a fabulous honey to go with cheeses.

Pohutukawa Honey

Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), also referred to as the New Zealand Christmas tree, and iron tree, is a coastal evergreen tree that produces a brilliant display of red (or occasionally orange, yellow or white) flowers made up of a mass of stamens.

It is renowned for its vibrant colour and its ability to survive even perched on rocky, precarious cliffs.

Pohutukawa honey is collected every December when the flowers are in full, bright red bloom. Pale gold in colour, it is a delicate, sweet honey, with floral flavours and a subtle, surprising salty aftertaste.

Rewarewa Honey

Rewarewa (Knightia excelsa), is an evergreen tree endemic to the low elevation and valley forests of New Zealand's North Island and Marlborough Sounds.

Rewarewa grows to 30 m tall, with a slender crown. The leaves are alternate, leathery, narrow oblong. The flowers are bright red/brown.

It was called New Zealand Honeysuckle by early European settlers but the name has fallen into disuse in preference for the Māori name.

Rewarewa flowers are a great source for honey production, with the resultant Rewarewa honey being a deep reddish colour with a caramel-like flavour.

Our Rewarewa Honey is 'Featured by Twinkl in 5 Native Honey Types of New Zealand'.

Beech Honeydew Honey

‘Honeydew’, often also referred to as ‘Forest Honey’ is honey produced from honeybees collecting nectar exuded from a scale insect.

Beech Honeydew Honey is collected from the Beech forests of New Zealand's South Island. Two species of Beech tree (Black Beech (Nothofagus solandri) and Red Beech (N. fusca)), are home to two species of honeydew insects, Ultracoelostoma assimile and U. brittini.

The enzymatic action of the honeydew in the gut of the scale insect may be benifical. Honeydew is higher in Oligosaccharides (complex sugars) than most all flower source honeys. Oligosaccharides are considered a probiotic in that it aids and promotes beneficial bacteria in the gut. Thus Beech Honeydew may be helpful after antibiotic use.

The honeydew produced from the native New Zealand Beech tree is a wonderful liquid honey ideal for the table as it rarely crystalises (low in glucose and fructose and high in more complex Oligosaccharides sugars such as maltose, merlose, and melezitose). It is rich and very dark red/brown in colour with a malty taste. Will add a richness to barbecues and roasts.

 

Tawari Honey

Tawari (Ixerba brexioides), is found in the Northern half of the North Island. It can be described as a bushy tree with thick, narrow, serrated, dark green leaves and panicles of white flowers with a green heart. The fruit is a green capsule that splits open to reveal the black seeds partly covered with a fleshy scarlet aril against the white inside of the fruit.

Flower buds are formed in March and April and these open from October to the end of December.

Tawari flowers are a rich and abundant source of nectar. The nectar contains a lot of fructose and much water. The honey may be thin as a consequence, but nonetheless crystallizes quickly. The honey has a light colour and tastes a bit like butterscotch. Bark can produce a black dye that is known to be used on flax.^[9] Māori people traditionally used the flowers to make necklaces and other adornments to be worn at festivities.^[7]