Dan Tarrant and his family harvest mānuka honey from one of the most remote places in the country, Ruapuke Island. And while his honey is rare, Dan’s story is even rarer: one of deep connection to whenua, whānau, and the southern seas.
Located 23km off the coast of Bluff, Ruapuke is wild, private, and rich with history. Once home to 2,000 Māori, including chiefs Tūhawaiki and John Topi Patuki, the island has been in Dan’s whānau for generations. Today, it’s where Dan, his wife Demelza, and their kids tend bees, raise sheep, and teach the next generation how to live off the land.
“Everything we need is here. We just have to work for it,” Dan says.
Through their venture Ruapuke Uncut, Dan and Demelza produce the world’s southernmost mānuka honey, raw, pure, and flown out by chopper. Farming out here isn’t easy. The sheep are wild. The bees temperamental. Getting anything off the island takes time, planning, and usually a boat or helicopter. But for Dan, it’s worth it.
“It’s not just about the honey. It’s about keeping traditions alive, gathering kai, diving, fishing, birding. Teaching our tamariki how to provide for themselves.”
When he’s not on the island, you’ll find Dan oystering off Bluff with his dad and brother, or diving for pāua with his daughter Stella. Everything he does is rooted in whakapapa, kai, and care for place
“If I can live off the island, feed my family, and pass that on, that’s the dream.”
