Where Curiosity Meets Craft
From a hobby still to New Zealand's only Flavour Library, our journey has been driven by one question: How do we help people create gin they'll actually love?
A Five-Year Experiment
In 2018, Paul bought himself a small home still and started experimenting. Angela turned his experiments into liqueurs.
What began as weekend tinkering became a dream - grow our own botanicals in Bay of Plenty soil, create exceptional small-batch spirits, and share what we learned along the way. But we wanted to do it properly. Five years of research, planning, and considerable prodding from our friend Shelley led us here: a micro-distillery in rural Aongatete where quality always comes first.
We launched at the beginning of 2023. We're still small, still family-run, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
What Makes Matahui Different
The Flavour Library: Our Innovation
In 2020, Paul had an idea that changed everything. Most distillery experiences show you botanicals in jars and let you suggest combinations. We thought: what if you could taste each botanical individually before blending?
It took two years of development and significant investment to create our Flavour Library - individually distilled botanicals you can taste, compare, and blend using the same methods we use for our award-winning gins. You're not guessing what might work. You're creating with knowledge.
We're the only distillery in New Zealand offering this method. When guests tell us they "felt like a kid in a chemistry lab," we know it's working.
We Remake Batches That Aren't Perfect
This probably isn't efficient business practice, but it's who we are.
When a batch doesn't meet our standards, we distil it again. We don't cut corners, we don't "blend it out," and we don't convince ourselves it's "good enough." Only our best work carries the Matahui name.
In 2024, this approach won us a Trophy for Best Botanical Spirit at the NZ Spirits Awards - the competition's highest honor. We also earned Double Gold medals and multiple other awards. These aren't just badges for the website. They're proof that small-batch obsession beats large-scale production when quality comes first.
Intimate by Design
We host maximum 8-12 guests per Gin Lab experience. This isn't about limiting capacity - it's about maintaining quality.
Ten guests is the number that allows unhurried conversation, personal attention from Paul, Angela, or one of our team, and genuine learning. You'll have time to ask questions, experiment with confidence, and truly understand the craft you're practicing.
Time flies by when you're engaged. Most guests are surprised when three hours pass "in what felt like an hour."
Substance Over Show
We chose a stainless steel still over traditional copper equipment. It's less visually impressive - no gleaming copper stills dominating the room - but it gives us better quality control and is easier to maintain at professional standards.
We can add copper to the vapour path when a recipe needs it, but we prioritise results over aesthetics. Our awards validate this approach.
Small Batch
Excellence Validated
2024 NZ Spirits Awards:
Trophy for Best Botanical Spirit (highest honor)
Double Gold Medal
Multiple Gold & Silver Medals across our range
These awards prove something important: you don't need a large distillery with impressive equipment to create world-class spirits. You need attention to detail, quality ingredients, and a commitment to getting it right.
Our Garden & Values
Conservation Roots Run Deep
Paul and Angela both came from conservation work before Matahui. This shapes everything we do.
Our botanicals grow using permaculture principles - working with nature rather than against it. We don't use intensive sprays or pesticides. We hand harvest. We distil, bottle, and label everything on site. We're not just making gin; we're stewarding land.
Bay of Plenty Terroir
Our botanicals grow in the same volcanic soil that makes the Bay of Plenty famous for exceptional kiwifruit and avocados. Terroir matters for spirits, not just wine.
Native plants like kawakawa and horopito thrive here. Citrus develops distinct flavour profiles. What grows in this soil grows differently, and you can taste it in every bottle.
When locals visit, they often say "this tastes like the Bay of Plenty." That's the highest compliment we could receive.
The Pukekos Are Part of the Story
We share our garden with far too many pukekos who visit morning and evening. They're comical to townies, pests to some rural folks, and absolutely part of the Matahui experience.
Sometimes they help themselves to botanicals from the garden. We've made peace with it. Nature isn't something we control - it's something we work alongside.
Meet the Team
Paul Founder & Distiller
Paul's the one who started all this with a small still in 2018. His innovation - the Flavour Library - came from asking "how can we help people actually understand what they're creating?"
When he's explaining distilling methods or the science of flavour, his passion is obvious. He's a teacher at heart, which is why our experiences focus on genuine learning rather than entertainment theatre.
Conservation work taught him patience and attention to detail. Distilling requires both.
Angela Co-Founder & Liqueur Maker
Angela turned Paul's early experiments into liqueurs and saw the potential before it was obvious. She's the reason Matahui feels welcoming rather than exclusive.
Her warmth and knowledge shine during cellar door tastings. She'll notice little details and make sure you feel welcomed rather than processed through an experience.
Conservation backgrounds shape her approach too - sustainability isn't marketing, it's how we operate.
Our Commitment to You
When you visit Matahui, you're not getting a show. You're getting genuine education from people who care deeply about craft and quality.
You'll create exceptional gin using professional methods in an unhurried, intimate setting where questions are welcomed and quality is never compromised. You'll take home something you made with knowledge and care - not a random experiment, but a recipe you understand.
That's the Matahui promise.
Come Visit Us
We're in rural Aongatete, Bay of Plenty - about 25 minutes from Tauranga, 90 minutes from Hamilton, and worth the drive from Auckland.
Our garden is most beautiful in spring and summer, but there's something special about every season. The Gin Lab runs year-round. All our experiences include an opportunity to tour the garden if the weather is nice.
We'd love to host you.
Learn professional gin-making using our Flavour Library
(3 hours, from $95pp)
Taste award-winning spirits and explore our permaculture gardens
(1 hour, from $45pp)
Take home our Trophy-winning gins and liqueurs
Questions? Just want to say hello? We'd love to hear from you.