New Zealand honey by region: what each part of the country produces

Which honey comes from which part of New Zealand?

Honey follows what flowers. Pasture regions like Waikato, Manawatū, Canterbury and Southland produce mostly clover. Native-forest regions give the bush honeys: pōhutukawa and tāwari in Northland and the Coromandel, rewarewa in the central North Island, kāmahi and rātā on the West Coast, beech honeydew in Nelson and Canterbury, and thyme in Central Otago.

Why region matters more than brand

Bees forage within a few kilometres of the hive, so a honey can only be what grows near where the hives sat. A region on the label tells you far more about what you are buying than a brand name does, because it tells you which flowers were available. These are the broad patterns; any one apiary depends on its own valley and its own season. Even a large brand like Arataki, based in Hawke's Bay, sells honeys from several regions under one label. For which honey suits which job, see the best honey in New Zealand.

Northland and Auckland

Coastal and northern forest honeys. Pōhutukawa off the coast in December, tāwari from northern forest in early summer, plus mānuka and kānuka from scrubland and dark bush blends.

Coromandel and Bay of Plenty

Much the same mix as Northland, with more rewarewa from the bush margins. The Coromandel has little pasture, so very little clover. Coromandel honey has its own guide.

Waikato, Manawatū and pasture country

Clover. Wherever dairy and sheep farming dominate, white clover dominates the honey, and these regions supply much of the everyday clover and blended honey sold in New Zealand.

Central North Island and Te Urewera

Native forest honeys, especially rewarewa, along with tāwari, kāmahi and bush blends. Te Urewera's forest margins are classic rewarewa country.

Nelson, Marlborough and the West Coast

The beech forests give beech honeydew, which is not made from flowers at all. The wet West Coast forest gives kāmahi and southern rātā. Marlborough's riverbeds and high country add blue borage.

Canterbury

Clover on the plains, honeydew from inland beech forest, and blue borage along the braided rivers and high country.

Central Otago

Thyme honey, from the wild thyme that covers the hills around Alexandra, Cromwell and the Clutha valley, plus blue borage and some clover. Thyme is the region's signature honey and one of the most distinctive in the country.

Southland and Fiordland

Clover from Southland's farmland, and rātā and kāmahi from the forest edges of Fiordland.

Buying honey from a particular region

Regional honey is most often sold direct by the beekeeper, at markets, roadside stalls and online. Buying honey direct has the questions worth asking, and reading a label explains what a regional claim on a supermarket jar does and doesn't promise.

Still not sure which honey to buy? Ask us a questionand we’ll reply by email.