News

Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort voted in Top Ten Relaxation Spa Hotels in the South Pacific for the second year running.

8 May, 2011 - Mokoia Restaurant takes on wild Game Bird challenge

Hunters crouched expectant in Maimais hoping to bag a few game birds can dream of mouth watering dishes to follow if they take them to Mokoia Restaurant at Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort which is involved in the 2011 Game Bird Food Festival for the first time.

The Festival which involves specially selected restaurants throughout New Zealand encourages hunters to deliver their harvested and dressed game birds 24 – 48 hours before they want to dine and the game birds will be presented as signature dishes.

This is the first time that Mokoia Restaurant has been involved and it is the only fine dining restaurant specialising in indigenous herbs and spices to be participating in New Zealand. As restaurants are not allowed, by law, to purchase or sell wild game birds the Festival is the only opportunity for New Zealanders to taste Game Birds by harvesting them themselves or joining a hunter who has before the end of the hunting season on July 3rd making it a rare treat for food lovers.

Mokoia Restaurant chief executive Bryan Hughes says the restaurant loves embracing the challenge providing the opportunity for hunters to have their game birds prepared by its award-winning chef Ervin Garde with wine matches also provided for each of the dishes by Esk Valley.

Eastern Region Fish and Game regional manager Rob Pitkethley says “it is great to have a local restaurant put the effort into creating specialty
game dishes for the hunters in our area. “It provides a fantastic opportunity for game bird hunters to show their friends and families how quality
game can be prepared and enjoyed by those that wouldn’t usually get so lucky”

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18 April, 2011 - Wai Ora Spa wins two NZ categories in the World Luxury Spa Awards

Wai Ora Spa in Rotorua has won two New Zealand spa categories in the 2011 World Luxury Spa Awards.

The cultural spa, located within Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort, walked away with the country awards for New Zealand’s ‘Best Luxury Spa Group’ and the ‘Best Luxury Mineral Spring Spa’.

Wai Ora Group chief executive Bryan Hughes says the awards are testament to the work the Wai Ora Group has been doing and a further indication that the spa is on the right track to compete on the world stage.

“We’re also very pleased to see two other nominees from New Zealand were recognised with awards in other categories, showing New Zealand is becoming a great spa destination globally.”

The overall Global spa winners came from Hong Kong, China, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai.

The World Luxury Spa Awards give recognition to the spa industry, setting benchmarks in quality, innovation and service for spas around the globe, attracting the attention of global spa-goers and industry experts.

20 January, 2011

The Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice awards announced today puts the Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort in the Top 10 Hotels of its kind in the South Pacific- the only hotel featured from New Zealand in this catergory. Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort owners Bryan and Lisa Hughes are ecstatic about the award which is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated team. “It is great to know that we are voted highly among travelers and tourists visiting Rotorua. It puts our Resort and Rotorua as a destination on the map for potential visitors who may have not thought about visiting us in the past” mentioned Bryan.

The award is calculated by Trip Advisor’s online review system, where past guests and visitors are able to comment on their experience, provide reviews, and publish an overall rating of their experience with certain accommodation providers. Only 676 Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice Awards are awarded each year with thousands of hotels worldwide being eligible. It is the second consecutive year that Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort has featured in the Trip Advisor South Pacific Top Ten chart for “Relaxation and Spa” with 96% of reviewers recommending the hotel when travelling to Rotorua. The owners, Bryan and Lisa believe that the latest award certainly positions the Spa Resort as New Zealand’s “leading relaxation and spa hotel.”

Bryan mentioned “It shows that our resort is meeting expectations for our visitors. I think that they are pleasantly surprised when they discover our internationally acclaimed Wai Ora Spa and our beautiful lake environment.” The Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort offers visitors a luxury full facility spa resort hotel experience providing absolute lakeside accommodation. Home to the only cultural day spa facilities in New Zealand (the Wai Ora Day Spa), the Resort aims to provide visitors with a unique accommodation, food and spa experience found nowhere else.

“This award, along with our second ‘New Zealand Beef and Lamb Award’ for the Mokoia Restaurant shows that we are on the right track as we strive for excellence. We now wait the judging of our Resort in the “World Luxury Spa Awards” for which we received a nomination for late last year.” "It clearly shows that what were the origins of tourism here in Rotorua and indeed New Zealand is just as relevant today, as it was in the past – our Spas” says Bryan Hughes who has had a passion for spa for more than 20 years.

17th January, 2011 - Mokoia Restaurant in Top 200 Nationwide

The Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort’s Mokoia Restaurant has been a recipient of the New Zealand Beef and Lamb Award for the second consecutive year- one of only 11 restaurants in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel Regions. The Beef and Lamb Excellence Awards 2011 (previously known as the Beef and Lamb Hallmark Awards) recognize superb quality Beef and Lamb dishes cooked in fine dining restaurants nationwide. The award places Mokoia Restaurant in the top 200 Restaurants in the Country.

Mokoia Restaurant’s Head Chef Ervin Ybanez Garde is thrilled by his kitchens success. ‘Gaining the Beef and Lamb Excellence Award two years in a row has been such a privilege because our team is dedicated and passionate about their tasks at the Mokoia Restaurant. Achieving this award again is simply a bonus’ he said.

According to Beef and Lamb New Zealand, the standard of cuisine this year has been astoundingly high despite market struggles such as reduced lamb supply and higher prices. ‘This accolade will make sure Mokoia Restaurant stays at a high level of quality. Our kitchen brigade continues to make sure every single dish produced is of award winning standard’ Chef Ybanez Garde said.

Mokoia Restaurant prides itself on creating high quality Pacific Rim cuisine, infused with local flavours of indigenous herb and spices. Through the use of these unique flavours and quality meats, Ervin and his team aim to bring out the essence of New Zealand culture
within their food. The Restaurant’s current Beef and Lamb dishes are available on both Lunch and dinner menus and are recommended
to be tasted by the option of shared dining.

October, 2008 - Official Opening of Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort by Prime Minister, John Key

Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort was opened by the new Prime Minster of New Zealand, Mr John Key just one week before the national elections that swept the National Party to Government. John Key , then the leader of the National Party cut the ribbon to the entrance of the Resort to formally open the new $10 million complex in front of many invited local Rotorua tourism operators, respected elders of Ngati Rangiteaorere and parliamentarians. Mr Key enjoyed the opportunity to meet all invitees and struck up an instant connection with the many tourism operators present.

Mr key impressed all present with his keen interest in the facility, especially the underlying themes that the new Resort was highlighting such as the contemporary interpretation of Maori healing therapies in a modern spa setting and implementation of the hosting concepts encapsulated within "Manakitanga".

During his address to those gathered at the opening Mr Key made it clear that he believed that the Tourism Industry was vital to the New Zealand economy and deserved to be lead by a more senior member of cabinet than had been the case to date. He made a promised to the invitees that a very highly ranked member of Cabinet would taken on the portfolio of Minister of Tourism to ensure that the importance of the industry was given the due recognition that it deserved.

John lived up to his promised made at the opening of the Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort ,when taking up his role of Prime Minister in the new Government ,by announcing that he would assume the role of Minister of Tourism. The most senior ranked Minister of Tourism in cabinet in the history of New Zealand.