Rata Honey is produced predominantly from the Southern Rata on the West coast of New Zealand's South Island. While there are eight Rata species (Metrosideros sp.) in New Zealand including some vines as well as trees, Southern Rata (Metrosideros umbellata) is the main honey source. The honey is very light in colour and distinctively flavoured with an almost salty taste. The pollen is triangular and typical of the Myrtaceae (Myrtle) family which includes eucalypts, bottle brushes and leptospermums (manuka).
Southern Rata flowers from early January to March. The lowland trees start flowering first and the flowering then progresses up to higher altitudes. In some areas it is possible to see a distinct band of red cutting around the mountainsides, the lower trees having finished flowering. The frequency of the Rata flowering is sporadic, some saying it flowers well every 3 years and spectacularly every 7 years. This is an approximation only as it can flower well for 3 years in a row and not at all some years making the honey supply intermittent. This irregularity of supply is offset by Rata being one of the finest honeys in the World, and when a good flowering coincides with with fine, stable weather, it can produce a prolific crop of high quality. "Fine weather" however is a commodity that is often lacking on the South Island's West Coast. The "Coast" has a very high rainfall with the Otira region averaging over 300 inches (7.6 metres) of rain per year!
Rata honey is one of the fastest crystallising honeys with a proportionally high glucose content.
Certified Organic AgriQuality New Zealand
250 gram glass jar