It is the wise diner who visits Sage. The restaurant lies well north in the Bay of Islands, from where the culinary team draws inspiration in the form of moana-to-whenua offerings. This glorious and abundant back doorstep provides some 80 per cent of its sustainably sourced ingredients. The site, of course, is not the only drawcard: executive chef Dan Fraser has a lot to do with the success of this dining discovery. Dan (formerly of the Duke of Marlborough) has made it his mission to put Northland on the culinary map and his beautifully presented cuisine is a giant step in that direction. One example is his kūmara rewena bread which comes with Rāwhiti honey butter plus Paroa Bay salt. It doesn’t get more local than that. Dan has been known to personally pick his produce (pineapples from Whangarei) for his kitchen. The dilemma of choosing from the à la carte menu is assuaged with the addition of a dégustation option.