a restaurant at wharepuke, kerikeri, NTL, NZ
Calming - creative - experiential-delectable
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By Sophie O’Grady

27 MARCH UPDATE

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27 MARCH UPDATE 〰️

Kia ora!

Opening hours are updated monthly - please see our March hours below. Also Easter and Anzac Day hours are now up too. Please note that we will be closed Tuesday 8 April - Thursday 10 April for personal reasons. Reopening Friday 11 April for lunch and dinner as usual.

Māha will be at The Fired Up BBQ Festival on Saturday 29 March from 12 noon - 8.30. We will be closed for lunch Friday 28 to set up and Saturday 29 - come and visit us at The Packhouse instead! It’s 2 events in one! The inaugural Fired Up Barbecue Festival and the Tai Tokerau Low and Slow BBQ Competition. We’re serving up two dishes: our ‘old school wagyu hamburger’ toastie with truffle paste, manchego cheese & Māha mustard and wood roast Pork char siu with Māha miso rub and Japanese potato salad.
Watch the BBQ masters at work and listen to live music as you eat!
Get your tickets at The Packhouse Cafe, BBQ BOI, Dave’s Place Waipapa or at https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/fired-up-barbecue-festival/kerikeri

Back on our meat blackboard is Galloway beef - the Scottish breed we source direct from the farmer so with limited supply. We have Scotch and T-Bone available. Still on the board is our house smoke aged Sirloin of NZ Prime Beef. Choices of sauce are the old New York style garlic butter or HK style black pepper.

On the fish and seafood board we now have Māha style Bouillabaisse - fresh fish, sea scallop & king tiger prawn in a saffron & tomato broth, wakame aioli. The chargrilled Prawns are currently served Spanish style on a white bean & almond purée. In addition we have chargrilled Octopus with pickled cucumber, coconut, coriander & house pickled ginger dressing.

New on the dessert menu is a chocolate & brandy panna cotta served with organic grape jelly. Our house made gelato & sorbet flavours include Blue River Orchard Blueberry ripple. Try our Sicilian style affogato with house made saffron & almond gelato (or stay with the tried & true vanilla gelato option!).

When you reserve your table let us know whether you would like to dine out on the covered deck to enjoy dining in the subtropical garden. We have tables inside too if you prefer. To contact us click on the link below to send an email and we will reply as soon as possible or call us 09 945 6551.

Our menu format - izakaya style - is designed to share because: “The way to the state of Māha is through sharing great kai” (Chef Ming). The Māha experience = warm & friendly service+tasty innovative food+great drinks, including many non-alcoholic options!

Scroll down and click on the menu link to see the current menu. Many of our dishes are either gluten free or can be made GF for you. We are able to customise most of our dishes to suit you as an individual rather than listing menu items as GF, vegetarian etc. When you book you’re welcome to state any dietary requirements.

*A reminder that we sell vouchers so give us a call or email us to organise it!

Our space is well ventilated, we have table service, and well distanced seating. Our covered deck offers a stunning garden vista guaranteed to delight and relax diners that’s also great for casual drinks & nibbles.

Ngā mihi nui Diane and Ming x

“Earthy and esoteric elements meld in a pan-Asian menu. Māha prides itself on using fresh, local and seasonal products in their delivery of unpretentious, clean and honest food. A menu made with love and calm consideration – by grown-ups for grown-ups.” (Cuisine Magazine 2023).

Māha style Bouillabaisse with fresh fish, sea scallop & king tiger prawn in a saffron & tomato broth with wakame & yuzu aioli

 

 When You Dine Here You Support Our Local Suppliers:

Omata Estate

144 Islands Wine

Black Collar Distillery

The Landing Winery

Fat Pig Wines

Phat House Brewing

Pala Produce

Kōwhai Point EV Olive Oil

Bella Vacca Jersey Milk

Marangai Farm Eggs

Orira Orchards

Paroa Bay Oysters

Omak Meats

The Packhouse Market

Lee Fishery

BOI Barbeque

About

When you come to Māha you are welcomed into ‘our place’ or our ‘whare’ where our manaakitanga means you are cared for in body, mind and spirit!

The owners are the operators - Ming is the chef and Diane is the front of house person. We met in Sydney when we both worked at a little restaurant in Woolloomooloo. Over classic Martinis one night in a variety of Paddington establishments we made the choice to be together, following each other over the next few years around several cities and countries as work and life choices dictated. We decided to make New Zealand home, specifically Wellington. Ming was the opening executive chef at Chow, Dojo and Ancestral and my first job back in NZ was at Brasserie Flipp. Together we opened a little restaurant called The Orange Dining Room (ODR) in Swan Lane, off Cuba St. It was actually orange! Ming won Chef of the Year and Best Dish of the Year.

Like many people, for us Northland was a discovery made by chance that has become our home of choice. There’s something about it that nurtures the soul - the light, the colours, the diversity.

ODR is essentially reborn at Māha Restaurant in the Wharepuke Subtropical Garden - light, spacious, modern and eclectic in decor and flavours. We are seasoned hospitality professionals serving you creative and inspired food and curated beverages. We have put together a space that is truly ‘us’, even to the point of accommodating many dietary intolerances. I know myself, for example, how hard it is to find food without onions all through it - the adverse reaction I have makes dining out simply hard work! We enjoy offering you a customised experience.

Wharepuke is now a creative hub for enjoying art, dining, relaxing and learning - with walks, workshops and accommodation all within a private family owned and operated subtropical paradise. Discover it for yourself!

Photo by Jill Lancaster, October 2023

 

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