Why is every description on this page a quote?
Because flavour notes written by a shop that has never held the jar are decoration. The producers who harvest these honeys describe them on their own product pages, and those descriptions are theirs. We quote them, credit them and link them, and where a producer doesn't describe a honey's flavour, neither do we.
Which is the everyday honey?
Clover, by a distance. Arataki describe theirs as "pleasingly mild and deliciously sweet, gathered from the widespread flowering pastoral land". Airborne name Canterbury, Otago and Southland as the prime areas for quality clover production. It is the cheapest per jar of anything on this page.
Which are the native tree honeys?
Rewarewa, kāmahi, rātā, pōhutukawa and tāwari. Airborne call rewarewa "rich and malty… full bodied yet not overly strong" and describe it as a premium variety because the flowers may not bloom well every year. They describe kāmahi as "a light amber honey with a distinctive, full-bodied complexity of flavour". Arataki's pōhutukawa is, in their words, "an exquisite white honey… with a mellow, smooth milky flavour".
What are thyme and blue borage?
Two honeys off the dry inland South Island. Airborne describe thyme as "an intensely aromatic honey" with "lingering, herby, savoury flavours". Blue borage — sold by Airborne under its other name, vipers bugloss — is described by Arataki as "light pinkish brown in colour with a delicate, mildly herbal flavour".
Where does multifloral mānuka fit?
Between the two halves of this site. A multifloral mānuka jar carries an MGO figure rather than a UMF™ grade in most cases, and sits at floral-honey prices rather than graded-mānuka ones. It is not a cheap monofloral; it is a different category under the government's test. The grade page explains what a UMF™ number does and doesn't cover.
Frequently asked questions
Which New Zealand honey tastes strongest?
Producers describe thyme, bush and rewarewa as the stronger flavours and clover, pōhutukawa and rātā as the milder ones. Those are their words, on their own pages, not a tasting we've done.
Is creamed honey different honey?
No, it's the same honey set to a spreadable texture rather than left runny. Several producers sell the same floral type both ways at the same price.
Why is mānuka so much more expensive than rewarewa?
Grading and testing are part of it, and so is demand. We go through what we can and can't source about that.
Do you sell these yet?
No. Everything on this page is sold by the producer who made it, linked. When our own raw range opens it will be these producers' jars, sealed, with their names on them.
Sources
- Airborne Honey — their own New Zealand shop — last checked 16 September 2026
- Arataki Honey — their own New Zealand shop — last checked 16 September 2026
- Onuku Honey — their own New Zealand shop — last checked 16 September 2026