Kaimai Brewing & Distilling

Founded in 2020 by Wayne and Kathy Chowles, their first gin, Eliza’s Claim Gold Gin, claimed a gold medal at the 2021 NZ Spirits Awards.

They have since expanded their range from their base at the historic Waikino Hotel in the Karangahake Gorge at the northern extent of the Kaimai Range.

Stories of the gold mining era and Wayne’s background in the mining industry provide the inspiration for their gins, which are made with 50,000-year-old water from an artesian aquifer in the Coromandel Ranges and celebrate the land, people, and history of the surrounding area.