Most people arrive at Huka Honey Hive expecting a honey shop. What they find is something far bigger. Behind the large barn-like exterior in Wairākei Valley — what General Manager Ryan Chadwick affectionately calls "Taupō's backyard" — sits a destination full of wonder, where visitors can watch live bees at work, taste honey sourced locally and from across New Zealand, sample mead and honey-infused products, learn about pollinators, and discover the stories behind the beekeepers producing it all.
For Ryan Chadwick, it's also a place that feels remarkably like home. After spending seven years helping run Huka Honey Hive, followed by seven years away building businesses of his own, Ryan has returned as GM — stepping back into a business with deep family roots and a familiar sense of purpose.
The long way back
Originally from Durban, South Africa, Ryan arrived in New Zealand at 19 and never really left. He met his wife Brieley, they moved around the country, and eventually settled in Taupō where his father-in-law, Blair Matheson, and business partner and friend Dawn Jansen established Huka Honey Hive more than three decades ago.
The journey back wasn't part of the plan. After managing the business for seven years, it was time for change, and Ryan moved on, handing the reins over to Mark and Jo Saville, the current Huka Honey Hive owners who are equally passionate about Taupo, its community and all things bees. There was a coffee business, church leadership, business ownership, and a serious motorbike accident that required multiple surgeries (Ryan is on the mend but it’s been a long recovery). Along the way he and his wife Brieley Chadwick also purchased the Acacia Bay Garden Centre, another long-standing local business. Then came an unexpected opportunity to return to the Hive, bee puns intended.
"Coming back was definitely quite strange. When you come to the end of something, you kind of finish it in your mind. You think, 'I've done my season, I've moved on.' So even the fact that coming back was an option, it initially felt quite strange. But there was also an excitement because I knew the business had grown and evolved. To pick up that baton again, in a business my family helped start more than 30 years ago, is pretty cool."
Ryan Chadwick
Some things, however, haven't changed. A coffee table made from old beer crates that Ryan built more than a decade ago still sits in front of the fireplace. The live bee display he helped design remains one of the most popular attractions in the building. Small touches from Ryan's first stint at the Hive are still scattered throughout the business.
Ryan is a warm human who fondly recalls those earlier years, and those details are reminders that while businesses evolve, strong foundations and care for its people keep the Hive humming.
