Arataki Honey Visitor Centre

See inside the un-bee-lievable inner workings of a beehive at the Arataki Honey Visitor Centre in Havelock North. Part-education centre, part-honey shop, there's lots to appreciate about nature's hardest-working species. Examine a cross-section of a hive through the glass and try and spy the queen, then sample floral nuances in the honey tasting. The bee behemoth that is Arataki Honey was founded with one single hive when Percy Berry removed a swarm of bees from a neighbour's tree in 1942. He split that hive and by 1944 had 131. Now the company has more than 24,000. The art deco building, close to Te Mata Peak, has been the company's headquarters since 1944 and is still in the Berry family, which continues to be involved. At last count, 19 fourth-generation and 21 fifth-generation Berrys were in the bee biz. 66 Arataki Road, Havelock North. (06) 877 7300, aratakihoney.co.nz