Northland is one of the country’s ‘food baskets’, with superb seafood, fresh produce and grass-fed meats, and is a rising star as a wine-growing region.
Our Food
At The Landing, your daily menu will be designed to suit your tastes, requirements, mood and itinerary by our head chef using the best seasonal ingredients from the property and region, served in the privacy of your Residence, or packed to take on your day trip for a picnic lunch. If you love to cook, you can tour our orchards, vegetable and herb garden and free-range henhouse, choosing your own fruit, herbs, vegetables and eggs for a self-catered meal, or spend an afternoon with our head chef learning cooking techniques using our produce or your daily catch from the ocean. At the Sunday morning farmers’ market in the nearby town of Kerikeri, you can purchase fresh local produce, and honey and olive oil farms, an artisan bakery, an award-winning cheese and yoghurt maker, and a boutique chocolatier are found nearby.
Our Wines
The Landing Wines are known for their beautifully crafted tropical fruit and mineral flavours, given depth and complexity by Northland’s long, warm summers and coastal aspect. From vine to bottle, every step of the wine-making process takes place on site, starting in our 33-acre vineyard and finishing at our state-of-the-art winery. Whether you are a guest staying at The Landing or a visiting enthusiast, our vineyard staff can take you on a guided tour of our Rosé, Syrah, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Merlot plantings, before you spend an afternoon tasting the results at our beautiful hilltop winery designed by Cheshire Architects, with sweeping views over the property. For guests of The Landing, we offer the opportunity to secure “en primeur” sales of new vintages from the barrel.
Mathew Cook's journey into cooking began when he was a teenager exploring his mother's cookbooks, particularly anything related to pastry. His career kicked off when he was 17, with a stint at Hammerheads in Auckland, where he received formal training during the restaurant's opening phase. From there, he worked at Puka Park Lodge in Pauanui in the Coromandel, and later at the Pan Pacific Hotel's fine dining establishment. Mat's career took him across the Tasman to Sydney for a decade, before he returned to New Zealand to hone his skills at Ascension Vineyard in Matakana and Banque Oyster Bar. From there, he travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he was executive chef in a New Zealand-focused restaurant for six years. Returning to New Zealand for the lifestyle, he found his groove at The Landing, drawn to its tranquillity. Mat and his family enjoy Northland’s relaxed life and outdoor activities like fishing and gardening. Mat's passion for gardening also extends into his professional life, where he has introduced sustainable practices like worm farming and composting to The Landing’s kitchen garden, extended the property’s productive gardens and increased the use of foraged native foods.
Northland born and bred, Ben Byrne joined The Landing in 2019 and has established himself in New Zealand’s wine industry as a sensitive and artistic winemaker with the ability to craft complex and distinctive wines. After completing a degree in viticulture and oenology from Lincoln University, he gained experience in Australia and California before returning to New Zealand to work under award-winning winemaker Rod MacIvor at Marsden Estate while nurturing his own label, Byrne Wines. At Marsden Estate, Ben first encountered The Landing wine, which was being made there at the time. Ben worked on every vintage from 2012 onwards, getting to know the fruit, and when The Landing’s own winery drew close to completion in 2019, he joined The Landing team as head winemaker, having had input into the design of the new building. Ben’s winemaking style is led by the grapes, season by season, using a light hand to “see what the fruit is telling us”. He enjoys working at a boutique label where he can guide the wines through every step of the winemaking process from the ground up. This responsive approach coaxes the best from the terroir and has led to The Landing wines gathering numerous gold medals and acclaim from critics.
