Want a unique food experience that will leave you buzzing?

Kitchen Takeover and Bee First Apiaries have teamed up to offer our foodie tribe a rare and memorable experience around one of New Zealand’s most famed ingredients - honey. So often honey experiences are characterised by glass barriers and seeing from a distance. Not this one! Get your beekeeping suit on, because we are getting up close and personal with one of nature’s most fascinating creatures.

For the last 20 years, Maree Paynter and Craig Lovell of Bee First Apiaries have been rearing bees and experimenting with honey in a number of different ways. Now they want to invite you into their apiary in Whakamārama in the Bay of Plenty to meet some of their colonies and harvest honey from the hives. You’ll then have the chance to take the honey you’ve pulled and spin it into your own batch. Bee-autiful! All along the way, you’ll get to hear their fascinating and personal story of how their strong hive operation of 1000 bees came to be and their latest endeavours brewing mead and developing organic, stationary hives.

After a morning of hands-on beekeeping, we’ll head back to the newly renovated barn to try a selection of meads, traditionally brewed on site alongside local cheese platters. When you head home you’ll be able to take a jar of the honey you spun, as well as some unforgettable memories of the day you got to be the beekeeper.

What does the day look like?

We’re running two sessions a day for this experience from 9.00 -11.30am or 12.30-3.00pm.

Below is an example agenda for the morning session. Times may vary slightly:

9.00am – Arrive at Bee First Apiary in Whakamārama.

9.00 - 9.30am – Complimentary tea or coffee, safety briefing and a chance to hear about how the apiary came to be.

9.30 - 9.45am- Get suited up in your beekeeping suit - we’re off to see the buzzy bees!

9.30 - 10.30am – Visit to the hives, meet the bees, pull the honey from the hives, hear more about how the bees live and make honey.

10.45-11.30am – Spin your own honey, complimentary mead and honey tastings. You will have the opportunity to buy honey products if you wish.

11.30am – Time to head home.

When are the events?

Two time options available, each day:

9.00 -11.30am or 12.30-3.00pm

Friday 24th March /Saturday 25th March / Sunday 26th March / Friday 31st March / Saturday 1st April / Sunday 2nd April

Where is the experience taking place?

Bee First Apiaries – 325C Esdaile Road, Tauranga, 3180

How much?

The cost of the experience including visit to the hives, spinning honey, mead, honey and cheese tasting is $139.

Health and Safety

Please note that Bees First Apiaries cannot eliminate the risk of a bee sting during this experience but they will do the utmost to ensure your safety while onsite. To reduce the risk suitable safety gear must be worn at all times while visiting the apiaries:

Full body apiarist suit and veil will be provided;
Gloves will be provided;
Covered shoes and socks must be worn;
First aid kits which include Epipens and antihistamines will be available and used if necessary.

If you have a known allergy to bees, you will have to sit this one out but keep your eyes peeled for other foodie experiences coming in 2023.

Minimum Age Requirement

This event is suitable for those 16 years old and above.

Refund Policy

All tickets are non-refundable, no exceptions. However, tickets are transferable so you can gift or sell them to someone else. If we have a waiting list, we can offer your ticket to the list so feel free to contact us for assistance.

If Kitchen Takeover has to postpone the event due to COVID-19, we will attempt to reschedule the event. If you are unable to attend on the rescheduled date we will offer you a refund or a credit towards a future event. Ticket holders will have seven days from notice to transfer their ticket to their preferred date.

Want to keep up to date with foodie experiences?

Follow Kitchen Takeover: @kitchentakeovernz

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Got a question?

Email foodie@kitchentakeover.co.nz