Mahurangi Honey

24/06/2025

I now have a Pohutukawa Blend on my website.
This is our batch 6 from 2024.
All our pure Pohutukawa sold out a while ago now, but this is a perfect alternative!
A beautiful Coastal blend of predominantly Pohutukawa and a touch of a kanuka from the Wenderholm and Hatfield sites of 2024.
Www.mahurangihoney.co.nz to order
Just $5 Auckland wide shipping

15/06/2025

With the arrival of winter, the bees are quiet, and hives are smaller, so its a good time to relocate some of our apiaries.

Our current situation is that we have too many sites and an overabundance of honey for just the two of us to handle. Well, we can handle it, but its alot of endless work ! To find a better balance, we've chosen to downscale. By having fewer sites, we'll be able to manage the hives better.

It's been tough to let go of some of our most productive sites, but we're certain this decision will have a positive impact on both our lives and the well-being of our bees.
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10/06/2025

Winter has arrived at the honey farm, and our pile of failed hives is bigger than ever ! A 10% loss is normal, but this season, we've seen a 15% loss. Each silver lid represents a hive that didn't make it. The Varroa Destructor mite weakens the colony, and wasps often deliver the final blow. Weaker hives are either merged with stronger ones or boosted with extra support. Then fingers crossed !

Last season's strong hives meant mite growth flourished. When inspecting the hives, it's the failing ones that require extra time and attention. Healthy hives are a breeze to manage, but high mite numbers bring deformities and viruses, and more work and time to nurse them back to health.

As dedicated semi-commercial beekeepers, we still experience failure and loss. But we're always striving to improve, succeed, and never stop learning. Next season will be better !

07/06/2025

Winter..
Things have slowed down on the honey farm. Bees dont hibernate over winter, but when it's cold, they do cluster together to keep the young and the Queen warm. A few of bees will be out collecting pollen on sunny days. The Queen will be slowing right down in her laying, so there's less young to feed. She's likely to completely stop laying for the colder winter months. Stores of honey and pollen from the summer are available to keep them ticking on till spring ..

29/05/2025

A life-long builder who turned his hobby into a small sustainable business, Cheif beekeeper Petes, been busy in his downtime. Our honey extraction facility is our converted double garage basement, so it's time to build a replacement carport..

I'm impressed with the intricate detail of the mesh work, and wishing we got extra for the garden !
Concrete pours this Saturday, but I'll be busy at the fabulous , selling loads of Manuka, Kanuka, and Rewarewa honey to my many lovely customers.

24/05/2025

Our Manuka is outstanding,
and we have plenty of it !
Visit my website
Www.mahurangihoney.co.nz

Or catch me or Pete at
Parnell Farmers' Market every Saturday Orewa Beach Farmers Market most Sundays Long Bay Village Market fourth Sunday.
Puhoi Village Market first Sunday
Smales Farm , second Sunday

We are Artisan Beekeepers with apiary sites on the beautiful Mahurangi West Peninsula. Using traditional practices and gentle ethical handling of our bees to supply Pure Raw Pohutukawa Honey, Certified Manuka Honey, Kanuka Honey and beeswax products. O

23/05/2025

Autumn hives, sitting pretty with a good box of honey stores above the brood chamber, to see them through winter..

19/05/2025

Late Autumn at the honey farm.
It's an easier time of year, but things have still been quietly busy for us..
Markets in the weekends, dispatching orders most days through the week, getting onto things, other than the bees, and even taking a much earned holiday down to Taupo .. what a place !
Thank you to all my customers who love and appreciate our real raw honey and have supported our small honey business. It's a lifestyle we wouldn't have without you 💕

06/05/2025

This mini hive sits at our entrance and was never intended to be permanent, but the bees seem quite happy here, going up higher instead of wider..

This half hive can be put into a standard full hive, something we just didn't get around to with the busyness of our last season.

30/04/2025

With our season finished, there's time for ex builder/cheif beekeeper to do other tasks. These stackable honey crates are made from some rough sawn Totara planks, milled and polished with our Beeswax Conditioner. I've never seen milled Totara. It's quite beautiful and is fairly light and soft to handle.

Now the honey feels even more special, transported to market in these custom-made boxes.. We considered the plastic but couldn't quite do it. The time and effort was worth it. Thank you, Pete 🙏 😊

23/04/2025

This seasons 10+ Raw Manuka is divine..
Not drummed, not heated, strained just twice and bottled into glass, not plastic. Left to set to its own natural crystal, it will develop a fine natural texture as temps drop, a sign of true Raw unadulterated Honey.. This batch was harvested from our beautiful local Te Muri Regional Park. Last season, it was all about the Pohutukawa. This season, because of the warm spring, it's all about the Manuka !

The lab test results now show its a 13.1 NPA (UMF) 409MGO and will mature up much higher as it ages. Its the go-to for niggly coughs, chest complaints, and sore throats. Also applied topically on cuts or infections, Manuka draws out and calms with its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Buy from the Beekeeper! Purchase on my website for just $35 a 500g jar, (on sale now)
Www.mahurangihoney.co.nz
or catch me
Saturday
Sunday
4th Sunday
2nd Sundayvillage.market 1st Sunday

23/04/2025

Beautiful natural honeycomb, hanging off the top hive mat.. our girls have so much honey on board going into winter that they have started filling the feeder.

Legally, we can't harvest honeycomb for sales after Dec 31st, for the risk of someone eating concentrated Tutin , a toxic honey dew the bees can collect when nectar is scarce ..

But that didn't stop me from chopping off a couple of lumps for my cheese and crackers !