**Huka Honey Hive owner Jo Saville keeps an eye on the $2499 jar of honey. Photo: Dan Hutchinson**

It’s a sweet deal if you’ve got the money.

By Dan Hutchinson

Some of the finest honey in the country is on sale at Huka Honey Hive with two buyers already getting their hands on jars of ultra-premium mānuka honey priced at $2,499 each.

Huka Honey Hive has recently splashed out on a few jars of Manuka South Limited Reserve Legacy UMF35+ honey — putting the small Taupō store in the same company as London's Harrods.

Two jars of the good stuff arrived at the store a few weeks ago and have already sold — one to a Russian couple and another to a Singaporean woman who plans to display it as a collector's piece rather than open it.

Huka Honey Hive owner Jo Saville says the honey and its display are a work of art, although its value lay in its health benefits.

Only 0.03% of all Mānuka honey batches tested by the independent UMF Honey Association over the past 20 to 25 years — out of nearly 13,500 recorded batches — have ever reached the UMF35+ potency level.

The UMF, or Unique Mānuka Factor, rating is determined through independent testing that measures methylglyoxal — the honey's antibacterial compound — alongside leptosperin for authenticity and several other chemical markers.

Produced by Christchurch-based Manuka South, the honey is sourced from hives helicoptered into remote Northland regions during the Mānuka plant's short flowering season.

It's then matured over 1,400 days and put through more than 100 individual quality tests before reaching market.

Each jar comes in a handcrafted American black walnut case with crystal viewing windows, monogrammed Italian leather, antique gold accents and a signed legacy booklet.

"This is something truly special, unlike anything we've had in store before," Saville says.

"Wellness-focused visitors are increasingly seeking out products with genuine provenance and proven potency, and this honey delivers on both counts."

Love Taupō General Manager Patrick Dault says Taupō has long been a destination where people come to restore and recharge — whether that's soaking in geothermal hot pools, exploring the landscape, or accessing some of the world's most exclusive natural wellness products.

"Having something this rare available here speaks to the quality and diversity of what visitors can experience in our region."

Huka Honey Hive draws about 160,000 visitors annually, with about 70% of those coming from overseas.

Jo says Southeast Asian customers in particular tend to arrive already well-informed about the benefits of Mānuka and other natural bee products, including pollen, royal jelly, propolis and bee venom.

Huka Honey Hive has two more jars of the honey for sale but Jo was not sure they would be able to source any more after that.

She says a product as pure and refined as the limited reserve honey should be savoured on its own rather than mixed with anything else.