Top North Island Cooking Classes

Enjoy a private and authentic cooking class, local market tour and home cooked meal with your host Anna. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to connect with local culture over food. The market tour involves Anna showing you the best vendors and talking to you about the local culture. Anna and her family live in a 140-year old Kauri villa that they are slowly renovating. The kitchen is the hub of their home and they have opened it up to make the most of its beautiful original character. Anna enjoys meeting new people and is looking forward to having fun sharing wholesome delicious food together with travelers to the area. After your cooking class you will join the family at the dining table or vine covered deck in the summer time, to enjoy the very meal you have cooked. You may have cooked a vegetarian or vegan barbecue or a meal influenced by middle-eastern, Italian, Asian or Mexican flavors. Dessert will include pudding, cake, tart or homemade ice cream.

Enjoy a private and authentic cooking class and home cooked meal with your host Joe in the comfort of your own residence. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to connect with local culture over food. Joe brings a diversity of culinary experiences unseen before in a local New Zealand chef – he was crowned Chef of the Year in 2013 specializing in Oriental cuisine in the UK, and awarded the privilege of overseeing the Relais and Chateaux Kitchen as sous chef. Joe is passionate about sharing his deep culinary knowledge to create fun and relaxing dining experiences for his guests. Joe's cooking focuses on gastronomic fusion delivered in a down-to-earth, socially interactive, and family friendly setting. Most of all, Joe loves creating memories with travelers from all over the world. He looks forward to teaching you and introducing you to the flavors of the region.

Enjoy a private and authentic cooking class and home cooked meal with your host Anna. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to connect with local culture over food. Anna and her family live in a 140-year old Kauri villa that they are slowly renovating. The kitchen is the hub of their home and they have opened it up to make the most of its beautiful original character. Anna enjoys meeting new people and is looking forward to having fun sharing wholesome delicious food together with travelers to the area. After your cooking class you will join the family at the dining table or vine covered deck in the summer time, to enjoy the very meal you have cooked. You may have cooked a vegetarian or vegan barbecue or a meal influenced by middle-eastern, Italian, Asian or Mexican flavors. Dessert will include pudding, cake, tart or homemade ice cream.

Discover the wine scene of Waiheke Island on a wine-tasting tour that introduces you to some of the island's best spots. With a small group and guide, taste world-class boutique wines and meet local producers who provide the chance to get to know the island's culture a little better. Along the way, admire the native bush and vineyard scenery.

Makue! Kai E! - A Twilight Experience A warm whakatau welcome marks entry into our Tawa forest village and evening celebrating our connection to our land, forests and waterways and each other. Together we'll prepare dinner before delicious morsels are shared in the village forest. Buttery corn cobs, boil up broth, mussels and smoked fish join seasonal delicacies like pikopiko – even huhu grubs when we can catch ‘em! In the Pā Mānawa –enjoy a pre-dinner drink and soak in the buzz in the heart of the village. Your Puku Burger is served with fresh salad, produce, and herbs. Kapahaka and impromptu “around the globe” performance kick start the entertainment, followed by a live musical soundscape for your alfresco feast. When dinner concludes, wander by lantern light for dessert in a secret forest alcove. Share in the magical firelight - before returning to Rotorua. This tour is a bespoke experience tailored to our guests!

​​A full day photographic experience at some of Waiheke Island's top boutique wineries with exclusive behind the scenes tastings and our own personal wine expert Randy and different winemakers discuss their winemaking philosophies.