Outdoor Cooking Class

Every Rose & Smith experience includes canapes, drinks, dinner and dessert all prepared on site by local legend and Rose & Smith’s resident chef Dale Keith. Dale is well known for sourcing Wairarapa’s finest produce and creating plentiful, colourful, delicious and beautifully presented dishes.

Dale is always keen to put on a show by demonstrating his expert spit roast and fire pit cooking techniques. Our outdoor kitchen where Dale cooks over coal and fire creates not only amazing food, but a welcoming atmosphere for your guests who can see the food being cooked and delight in the enticing aromas. 

Star Gazing

For thousands of years humans have used the stars to navigate our planet. In this modern stress-filled time star gazing has emerged as a new wellness trend with benefits for mental health. We are now realising the advantages of using the stars to navigate our inner selves as well as our world.

With its low light pollution the Wairarapa is one of New Zealand’s five notable ‘Dark Sky’ reserves; making it an ideal place to contemplate the cosmos.

Rose & Smith at Tauherenikau is honoured to join forces with Becky Bateman from ‘Under the Stars’ the Wairarapa’s own astronomy guide.

Your night sky experience starts with relocating to blankets and bean bags in front of the grandstand where your guests will be served a mulled wine or schoc hot chocolate.

During your night sky experience you’ll learn navigational techniques with your own star charts and torches. You will discover constellations, galaxies, nebulae and exploded stars and you will hear Maori legends and the scientific stories that will bring the sky to life.