Booking.com and chef Kia Kanuta create the ultimate kina escape
Are you a Booking.com Genius member? If so, have we got news for you. At 12 pm (NZDT) on Thursday, 23 October, booking opens globally for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday home experience celebrating one of Aotearoa’s most unique delicacies: kina (sea urchin).
Booking.com has teamed up with award-winning New Zealand chef Kia Kanuta to host the Booking.com Kina Cottage experience — an exclusive three-night stay located in picturesque Tutukākā, Northland. The experience invites one lucky pair of Genius members to uncover the flavours, stories, and traditions behind this prized ingredient through a retreat that celebrates Aotearoa’s coastal heritage.
Northland is renowned for its pristine beaches, ancient kauri forests, and breathtaking coastline, with easy access to one of the world’s top dive and snorkelling sites — the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve. While beloved by ocean lovers, the region is also one of many in New Zealand affected by kina barren, a growing ecological challenge where excess kina farming strips healthy kelp forests.
The stay begins with a Dive Now experience, where guests will head out across Northland’s crystal-clear waters to sustainably hand-harvest kina. It’s an intimate, hands-on experience — learning to gather the delicacy responsibly while exploring the underwater world it inhabits.
Back at the Kina Cottage, Chef Kia — known for his inventive seafood dishes and his ability to marry traditional Māori flavours with contemporary techniques — will serve your catch of the day in a private ocean-to-table dining experience. Expect a bespoke multi-course menu that includes kina mousse with caviar and rēwana bread, followed by handmade spaghetti with kina butter and pink pepper, served with crayfish and kawakawa, and finishing with a dessert true to Chef Kia’s signature style: fry bread, pōhutukawa, and smoked chocolate with coconut gelato.
Reflecting on the collaboration, Chef Kia said:“Some of my fondest memories are of school holidays spent gathering kina with my whānau, enjoying them fresh from the ocean. Those experiences shaped my love for ingredients that connect cuisine and culture. Teaming up with Booking.com on the Kina Cottage experience is meaningful to me because it brings together kaimoana, tradition, and the chance to share New Zealand’s coastal flavours with the world.”
After dinner, guests can unwind at the private clifftop cottage, surrounded by a vineyard and olive grove, complete with sweeping ocean views, a deck made for enjoying kina fresh from the sea, and even a mermaid pool — home to a resident octopus.
This once-in-a-lifetime experience will be available to book on a first-come, first-served basis from 12 pm (NZDT) on 23 October, for one Booking.com traveller and their guest (from anywhere in the world), for a stay between 20 and 23 November 2025.
For just $20.11, the package includes:
- A personalised kina experience with Dive Now
- A bespoke dinner menu featuring your catch of the day, prepared by Chef Kia Kanuta
- Daily breakfast and snacks from local makers and producers
- Return flights (domestic or international) and car rental or transfers
- Three nights’ accommodation at the Booking.com Kina Cottage
Good luck!
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