Rimu vs Tōtara benchtops: choosing an NZ native timber benchtop

Choosing the timber for a benchtop usually comes down to two NZ natives: West Coast Rimu and Northland Tōtara. Both make a benchtop you'll still be glad about in twenty years. They just get there with different personalities.

West Coast Rimu: warm, golden and full of movement

Rimu is the one most people picture when they think of a native timber kitchen. It has a warm golden colour, flowing grain and plenty of character, and it reads beautifully across a long run of bench. Ours comes from the West Coast, largely from windfall and salvage sources, so the timber arrives with a story already in it.

If your kitchen leans warm - brass, cream, darker cabinetry - Rimu tends to feel like it was always meant to be there.

Northland Tōtara: honey tones and fine, even grain

Tōtara is the palest of our timbers - light honey with reddish undertones, fine grain, gentle natural variation. Ours is naturally regenerating farm tōtara from Northland. It suits kitchens that want the warmth of native timber without the grain doing the talking.

It also finishes remarkably evenly, which matters on wide surfaces like an island. You can read more about where it comes from on our materials page.

Where West Coast Beech fits

Beech is often the surprise of the three. It carries a warm palette - honey, peach, caramel and golden-brown - with darker natural streaks that give the surface real movement, and it's the densest of our three natives. If you want native timber with a clean, contemporary feel that's anything but plain, Beech deserves a sample.

How to actually decide

Colour is the honest first filter. Grain character is the second - Rimu moves, Tōtara settles, Beech streaks. Beyond that, all three machine well, take our repairable oiled finish, and age with use rather than against it.

The best way to decide isn't a screen. Order timber samples and sit them on your existing bench for a few days, in your light, next to your cabinetry.

Pricing and lead time

Pricing depends mostly on size and thickness, not species - smaller pieces start under $1,000 incl. GST, and the benchtop configurator gives you a live number for your exact dimensions in about a minute. Custom benchtops are made in Christchurch and delivered NZ-wide. Production usually takes 4–8 weeks from when your deposit is paid, depending on whether you choose raw or finished timber. Delivery time is additional.

Availability shifts with what the forest gives us, so final timber selection is confirmed at the time of order. And as with everything we make, a native tree is planted for every item sold.

Still unsure? Talk to us - describing your kitchen usually settles the species question in one conversation.