It's that time of year again!  It's so hard to believe we are at the end of the year already!  If you haven't already sorted Christmas presents there's not much time left!  But don't worry we've got you covered.

For the artisan honey lover or for that special someone, our gift range is perfect!  We have an extensive range of gifts including Waikato honey, gift boxes, books, honey wraps, candles, honey sticks and collectable stamps.  Check out the gift range here.

Or if you are looking for corporate gifts for your clients or staff look no further, check out our great deal for a Waikato gift boxes.
 

With summer around the corner we are sharing some special Waikato spots we have found in the areas where our honeys are harvested.  This time I'm going to focus on the Four Brothers Reserve area.  The Four Brothers Reserve is between Hamilton and Raglan at the top of the deviation.  It's a beautiful scenic drive from Hamilton to Raglan with quite a few gems to see along the way, including:  
 

The Village Cafe & Farm Shop

Either on your way out of Hamilton or on your way back it's definitely worth stopping into the The Village Cafe & Farm Shop.  The Village Cafe is a rural rustic delight.  Set in a picturesque garden environment complete with a back to basics styled playground, a truly fun experience for children while the caregivers relax. 

The Village Farm Shop is a locally owned and operated co-op venture.  They aim to offer local growers and producers the opportunity to provide delicious food and beautifully crafted giftware at an honest price, benefiting both the makers and the customers.  Enjoy their delightfully bright space packed with wall to wall local goodies!

There's even a Village Boutique if you need your hair cut or a visit to a beauty therapist.
 

Four Brothers Reserve Walkway

Start at the Four Brothers Scenic Reserve car park on the Hamilton-Raglan highway.  This is a moderate 15 minute climb through bush that leads to the reserve's southern boundary with open farmland and good views.
 

Karamu Walkway North

Carrying along the farmland at the end of the Four Brothers track you follow the white posts and orange markers along the main ridge to Old Mountain Road.  There are great views of the Hakarimata Range in the north, Karioi and the coast to the west, Pirongia to the south and Hamilton City to the east.  This walk is 1.5 hours one way.

There is the Karamu Walkway South starting at Old Mountain Road or Limeworks Loop Road as well, check the details out here, this is a 3-4 hour walk.

Please note these walks are on private land with sheep, these tracks are closed from August - November due to lambing.
 

Ed Hillary Forest Reserve, coming

At the location of our original apiary site will be the home of the Ed Hillary Forest Reserve.  The farmland beside Four Brothers Reserve is being planted out in natives to encourage more bird life.  The plan is to connect the Karamu Walkway through the new reserve to create a new loop track.  This is something great to look forward to in the area!
 

Te Uku Roast Office

Pop into the old Te Uku Post Office for a coffee or cuppa to go. They are open from 6am!  Also check out the gallery with local artist's work and stock up on supplies at the general store.
 

Pipiwharauroa Walking & Biking Trail

This track goes over privately owned farmland and paper roads on the Wharauroa Plateau and is an 18 kilometres return trip (about 4 hours to walk or 2 hours to cycle).  At 430 meters above sea level, the trail winds over theTe Uku Wind Farm site which gives amazing 360 degree views across the greater Waikato to Raglan, Kawhia and Aotea Harbours and Mt Taranaki (on a clear day).  For more details on this trail check out this website.

Bridal Veil Falls

 

Raglan Area:

There is so much to see and do in the Ralan area, including:

• Walks along the beaches
• Water sports including swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, wind surfing, kite surfing, boating, fishing and of course surfing!
• Horse Riding
• Shopping, there is a great variety of craft and clothing shops
• Cafes
• Walks such as the Wainui Bush Park, Three Bridges Reserve and for the more adventurous there's Karioi summit tracks.

Check out this great guide to walks in the Pirongia and Raglan area.

Make sure you pop into the The Herbal Dispensary on Wallis Street in Raglan.  They are open 7 days a week and have some yummy healthy delights for you, including Sweetree Honey!

Much of this information and more is found on the Department of Conservation Website, check it to plan your weekend get aways.

Purchase Four Brothers Reserve Honey here!  Please note not all our honey varieties are available all the time.
 

This coming week is 'Recycling Week' in New Zealand.  It aims to raise awareness about recycling and to help us improve our recycling habits.  It encourages us to think about a different recycling habit each day of this week.  For example:

Procurement Monday: Only purchase things that can be recycled such as paper, glass and aluminium (these are best).  If plastic is the only option then choose types 1, 2 & 4, as they are more easy to recycle.

Waste Free Tuesday:  Make a conscious effort to not use your rubbish bin.  Try to recycle or compost items instead.

Reusable Wednesday:  Go to work or school with a waste free lunch.  Try and go with zero packaging and only use recyclable containers.

Rinse & Clean Thursday:  Clean all containers and packaging to be recycled.  Uncleaned products often don't get recycled.

Reflection Friday:  Keep all waste items and weigh it before disposing of it at the end of the day. Multiple the weight by 365 to see how much you could recycle in a year. Imagine how much NZ could recycle if we all did out bit!

Spring Clean Weekend:  Identify everything that can be reused, re-purposed, recovered, recycled, etc.  Take any unwanted items to your local salvation army store or clothing bin.  We support the Ngaruawahia Community Care Centre, they sell second hand goods and all the proceeds go to buying food for their food bank.  They are always needing more donations of goods so don't be shy!

Go to the Recycling Week website to find out more.  If you click on the daily icons they give you ideas of what you can do each day!


This two and a half minute video provides a great overview of why more recycling is needed in New Zealand and how we should go about it.