Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

The Creation Dinner brings fine dining to Rotorua

Alice Guy
By Alice Guy
Reporter, Rotorua Daily Post·Rotorua Daily Post·
29 Apr, 2018 08:40 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Karena and Kasey Bird welcome the guests to the second night of The Creation Dinner. Photo/Alice Guy

Karena and Kasey Bird welcome the guests to the second night of The Creation Dinner. Photo/Alice Guy

Diners enjoyed an exclusive evening of fine dining, story telling and good company all in a secret Rotorua location at The Creation Dinner.

Karena and Kasey Bird, winners of Masterchef 2014 and TV hosts of Karena and Kasey's Kitchen Diplomacy hosted the unique dining experience over two nights.

Limited to only 24 tickets per night the small group of diners gathered at Ponsonby Rd Lounge Bar with no idea where they would be going.

A short bus ride into Ohinemutu revealed the venue to be Te Ao Marama, the St Faith's Church hall, a place with special significance to the Birds.

"We have a lot of history in that building," Kasey said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We had so many events here growing up, and it's just such a nice setting being in the heart of Ohinemutu."

Transformed by black curtains and dazzling lights the building was almost unrecognisable as the church hall.

Diners were guided through a seven course degustation menu by a multimedia presentation telling the Maori story of creation.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The food carefully crafted to reflect on the stories.

Karena said she hoped people had been able to pick up on those messages.

"Things like using a truffle whip to represent the air.

"Or having a black and a white oyster to represent the light and dark."

Discover more

Māori fashion and food fusion to celebrate Rotorua mums

07 May 08:00 PM

He Poutama Rangatahi projects for Opōtiki

06 May 10:22 PM

Karena and Kasey to host long lunch

20 Mar 11:20 PM
Osyters two ways, natural with black garlic, black vinegar and soy and charcoal tempura with creamed paua sauce, to represent Te Po (darkness) to Te Ao (light). Photo/Alice Guy
Osyters two ways, natural with black garlic, black vinegar and soy and charcoal tempura with creamed paua sauce, to represent Te Po (darkness) to Te Ao (light). Photo/Alice Guy

The evening fused the Maori story with fresh New Zealand ingredients and quality New Zealand wine.'

"I think because it was a new concept we were interesteed to see what people would actually think," Kasey said.

"The feedback so far has been incredibly positive."

Te Ao Marama, the church hall at St Faith's Church, was transformed for the evening. Photo/Alice Guy
Te Ao Marama, the church hall at St Faith's Church, was transformed for the evening. Photo/Alice Guy

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick was among the guests and said she was absolutely delighted to see such an experience come to Rotorua.

Another guest said it made him excited for Rotorua's future as a real cultural hub.

"It just shows some of the amazing experiences we are producing here.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It makes me excited to see what Rotorua really has to offer."

Kasey said they would love more people to come and be a part of their dining experience.

"Next we'd like to move it around, and then of course come back to Rotorua at some stage."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua man named as victim of Waikato crash

09 May 12:49 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

BoP under heavy rain warning, possible thunderstorms

09 May 12:40 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

'We are not an airline': Council waives airport fees, denies loan request

09 May 12:33 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua man named as victim of Waikato crash

Rotorua man named as victim of Waikato crash

09 May 12:49 AM

The crash happened on Tauranga Rd on January 28.

BoP under heavy rain warning, possible thunderstorms

BoP under heavy rain warning, possible thunderstorms

09 May 12:40 AM
'We are not an airline': Council waives airport fees, denies loan request

'We are not an airline': Council waives airport fees, denies loan request

09 May 12:33 AM
Premium
Tourism industry leaders push to get more Chinese visitors to NZ

Tourism industry leaders push to get more Chinese visitors to NZ

09 May 12:00 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP