The Flight of the Buzzy Bee: A Kiwi Icon Lands in Kerikeri

Bay of Islands Honey Shop | 414 Kerikeri Road, Kerikeri | Proudly serving locals and visitors since 2000

By Dr. Isaac Flitta, Founder of Tōtika Health

If you have ever driven along Kerikeri Road in the heart of the Bay of Islands, chances are you have spotted something that made you smile, slow down, and reach for your phone.

Giant Buzzy Bee

Standing guard outside the Bay of Islands Honey Shop at 414 Kerikeri Road is a life-sized Giant Buzzy Bee, with a bright red nose, cheerful yellow face, oversized spinning wings, and all. It is one of the most photographed landmarks in Kerikeri, and for good reason. Behind this colourful sculpture sits one of New Zealand's greatest toy stories, a tale that stretches from a small Auckland workshop to the lawns of Government House, and now right here to our little corner of Northland.

Welcome to the Bay of Islands Honey Shop, home of Tōtika Health. We have been a trusted Kerikeri destination since 2000, and our Giant Buzzy Bee is far more than a quirky roadside attraction. It is a symbol of everything we believe in: authentic New Zealand craftsmanship, a deep connection to the natural world, and the kind of honest, hardworking spirit that turns something simple into something extraordinary, whether that something is a wooden pull-along toy or a jar of high-grade Mānuka honey.

The Origins of New Zealand’s Most Famous Toy

The Buzzy Bee story begins decades before our shop ever opened its doors. As documented in the now-classic 1987 newspaper feature "The Flight of the Buzzy Bee" by Wayne Thompson, the original toy was created by Auckland toymaker Hector Ramsay. Ramsay's design was deceptively simple: a cheerful, round-bodied bee on wheels, with wings that clicked and spun as a child pulled it along the floor. It was bright. It was noisy. And New Zealand children absolutely loved it.

At the height of its popularity, around 40,000 Buzzy Bees were being produced every single year. The toy became a fixture of Kiwi nurseries from Kaitaia to Invercargill, handed down from older siblings to younger ones, from parents to children, from one generation to the next. It was not flashy or electronic. It did not need batteries. It was made from real materials: wood, paint, and a simple mechanical action, and that is precisely what gave it its soul.

Over time, production shifted from Ramsay to McKerras Industries, and eventually the licence was acquired by Bruce and Michelle McLuckie, who ran a small operation in Pakuranga, East Auckland.

The McLuckies were dedicated custodians of the brand. In their workshop, Buzzy Bee bodies were carefully machined from native New Zealand Tawa wood, then hand-painted in those instantly recognisable black, yellow, and red stripes. It was a genuine labour of love, a two-person team keeping a national treasure alive.

The Buzzy Bee family grew, too. Alongside the original bee came a whole cast of wooden companions that older New Zealanders will remember fondly: Mary Lou and Oscar Ostrich as teething dolls, Katie the Caterpillar, Kriss Cricket (who hopped and clicked just like the bee), and Peter Pup. Together, they formed a toybox that was unmistakably, proudly Kiwi.

The Day a Buzzy Bee Met a Prince

The Buzzy Bee had already been a household name in New Zealand for years, but a single photograph turned it into an international sensation.

In April 1983, the British Royal Family visited New Zealand. Prince Charles and Princess Diana brought their infant son, Prince William, and during a stop at Government House in Auckland, the little prince was photographed on the lawn playing with a Buzzy Bee. That image was distributed worldwide by news agencies and appeared in newspapers from London to Los Angeles.

Overnight, the humble wooden toy from Auckland became a global celebrity. Demand skyrocketed. As the newspapers reported at the time, the question on every parent's lips became a now-famous line: "Has bubba got a Buzzy Bee?" Shops struggled to keep them in stock. Export enquiries flooded in. A toy that had been quietly doing its job in New Zealand nurseries for decades was suddenly front-page news on the other side of the world.

It was a moment that perfectly captured something New Zealanders have always known: the best things in life are often the simplest. No marketing campaign could have achieved what that one candid photograph did. It was authentic, unscripted, and real, qualities that Kiwis value deeply and that we try to embody in everything we do at the Bay of Islands Honey Shop.

Crafted from the Land, Just Like Our Honey

There is a reason the Buzzy Bee story resonates so strongly with what we do here in Kerikeri. The original toy was crafted from the New Zealand landscape, Tawa wood from native forests, shaped and painted by hand. It was a product of this country's soil, its trees, and the ingenuity of its people.

Our Mānuka honey and every other product we make here are no different. It comes from bees foraging the rugged, unspoiled landscapes of New Zealand, gathering nectar from the native Mānuka bush that thrives only her ein NZ. Just as Hector Ramsay and later the McLuckies turned raw native timber into something beloved, our beekeepers work with the natural environment to produce honey of exceptional purity and quality.

At Tōtika Health, we specialise in genuine, independently tested, high-grade New Zealand Mānuka honey. Every jar we sell is traceable, tested, and trusted. We understand that when you buy Mānuka honey, especially if you are purchasing it for its well-known wellness properties, you need to know exactly what you are getting. That is why provenance, transparency, and quality assurance sit at the heart of everything we offer. We are not a faceless online retailer. We are a family-run Kerikeri business where you can walk in, meet the people behind the product, ask questions, and leave with complete confidence in what you are taking home.

Our customers around the world trust us for exactly this reason. One visitor from Austria described our products as wonderful and our advice as first-class, adding that you can really feel the joy that goes into the work. She now orders directly from us and has her Tōtika products shipped all the way home, a testament to the quality and service that keeps people coming back, no matter where they live.

Another loyal customer discovered us at a local farmers' market and has never looked back:

"Whenever my family was down with a cold, or we felt an infection coming up, one teaspoon of this liquid gold simply put us back on our feet again."

She also highlights the scientific articles on our website that support the health benefits of Mānuka honey, because we believe in educating our customers, not just selling to them.

From the Nursery to the Bay of Islands

When the Bay of Islands Honey Shop first opened in the year 2000, the goal was straightforward: to share the incredible honey produced in this region with visitors and locals in a warm, welcoming setting. As the business grew and evolved, becoming Tōtika Health in 2020, its mission expanded, but its core values remained unchanged. We wanted people to experience the very best of what the Bay of Islands and Northland have to offer: real products, made with care, rooted in this place.

Our Giant Buzzy Bee arrived as a natural extension of that philosophy. Positioned at the

entrance to the shop on Kerikeri Road, it has become one of Kerikeri’s most recognisable

landmarks and a must-visit stop on any Bay of Islands road trip. Families pull over for photos. Tour buses slow down so passengers can wave. Children squeal with delight. It connects generations, grandparents who grew up pulling a Buzzy Bee across the kitchen floor, parents who remember the toy from their own childhoods, and young visitors seeing the cheerful character for the very first time.

The Giant Buzzy Bee also serves as a fitting guardian for our shop because it represents the very creature that makes our livelihood possible: the humble honeybee. Without bees, there is no Manuka honey. Without healthy, thriving bee populations working the Northland bush, there is no Bay of Islands Honey Shop and no Tōtika Health. The Giant Buzzy Bee is a celebration of bees in all their forms, the real ones in our hives and the wooden one that captured a nation’s heart.

More Than a Photo Stop

We know many visitors first discover us because of the Giant Buzzy Bee. They see it from the road, pull in for a selfie, and then discover everything else we have to offer. That is exactly how we like it. Once you are through the door, you will find a carefully curated selection of genuine Manuka honey products, from everyday table honey through to high-UMF medical-grade Manuka honey, along with bee-related gifts, skincare, propolis products, honey lozenges, and the kind of friendly, knowledgeable service that only a locally owned shop can provide.

But the real magic happens when you go beyond the shelves. One of the things that sets us apart from any ordinary honey shop is our live beehive experience. Behind the shop, visitors can see a working beehive up close behind glass, watching real bees at work, spotting the queen,

seeing drones, and even witnessing bees hatching from the comb. It is educational, fascinating, and unlike anything else you will find in Kerikeri.

As one recent visitor, Darcy, wrote after stopping in with her family:

“Read about the healing properties of Manuka, sample tasted various NZ honey, enjoyed an informative tour of the hive — spotted the queen, drone, watched as bees hatched out of the comb... learned a lot of interesting facts. Definitely worth a stop.”

Another visitor described spending nearly two hours with the owner, who provided a

comprehensive explanation of how bees live and work, along with free tastings of our delicious honey.

“A must stop!” he wrote.

The experience is family-friendly too.

Anna visited with her toddlers without a booking and found our staff brilliant at explaining the bees in a way young children could enjoy:

“Amazing! Must see in Kerikeri,” she wrote.

And Chynal called it

Inside the Bay of Islands Honey Shop

“a great little honey shop”

where the massive the beehive on site made everything feel even more special and authentic, adding:

“You can really feel the love that goes into what they do.”

We also hear time and again from visitors who came for a quick look and left with far more than they expected. As one family noted, they did not even get to the skincare range , our natural yet luxurious line formulated with high-grade MGO 823+ Mnnuka honey and Bee Propolis, and are already planning a return visit.

Another visitor described how the knowledgeable staff explained everything about Manuka honey without ever being pushy, taking the time to let customers think and make their own choices. That is the kind of experience we strive to create

every single day.

Whether you are here for five minutes or two hours, you will leave knowing more about bees and Manuka honey than when you arrived. And you will almost certainly leave with a jar (or several) to take home.

We are proud to be part of the Kerikeri community and the wider Bay of Islands tourism

experience. As Lisa put it in her review:

“The Honey Shop is an absolute treat to visit. A fun experience learning about the bees and watching the hives, wonderful service and some of the most delicious honey I’ve ever had. It’s definitely worth a stop on your way through Kerikeri.”

Whether you are a local picking up your regular jar of honey, a visitor from Auckland on a long weekend, a German couple seeking the best Manuka honey in Northland, or an international traveller exploring the Bay of Islands for the first time, you are welcome here. Come in, taste the honey, learn about the bees, hear the stories, and take a piece of genuine New Zealand home with you.

Come Say Hello

The Giant Buzzy Bee is waiting for you at 414 Kerikeri Road, Kerikeri, right at the Bay of

Islands Honey Shop.

Spin the wings, snap a photo, and step inside to taste the history.

And if the Buzzy Bee’s story has taught us anything, it is this: the most enduring things in New Zealand are made with care, crafted from the land, and shared with love. That is exactly what we aim to do with every jar of honey that leaves our shop.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Visit Us

Bay of Islands Honey Shop — Home of Tōtika Health

414 Kerikeri Road, Kerikeri, Bay of Islands, New Zealand