The Kitchen Team at The Mains Restaurant

Set within the 1930s heritage lodge of On The Point, The Mains Restaurant takes its name from its owners - Ron and Jamie Main - who have shaped this place with genuine care over many decades. History, warmth, and considered cuisine meet here, across a collection of dining spaces unlike anywhere else in the region.

The lodge has been privately owned since 1975, and was once the Main family home, where Ron and Jamie raised their four children. Guests today will find it much as it always has been: full of character, quiet in its confidence, and rich with the kind of detail that only comes with time. Following an extensive renovation in 2024, On The Point opened its doors more widely - welcoming visitors from across New Zealand and beyond.

An Evolving Fine Dining Experience

Dining at The Mains was originally reserved for in-house guests. During COVID-19, the restaurant opened to the wider community, introducing an à la carte menu - a change that felt so natural it became permanent. Today, both guests and local diners are equally at home here.

Distinct Dining Spaces

Each room at The Mains has its own character, suited to different occasions and moods.

• The Private Dining Room: Accommodates up to 14 guests around an extendable table crafted from the original floor of a Scottish church - a quietly remarkable piece that tends to prompt conversation. 
• The Study: An intimate spot for up to four guests, tucked on an upper level of the lodge, looking out over Rotorua city.
• The Conservatory: Bright and spacious in scale, accommodating up to 65 guests for private events, weddings, or gatherings of any kind.

Meet the Culinary Team

Our Rotorua fine dining restaurant wouldn't be what it is without the exceptional kitchen team - together, they bring a quiet focus and real craft to every service:

• William Foot – Head Chef
• Scott Robinson – À la Carte Chef
• Lewis Yetsenga – Chef de Partie
• Chloe Young-Gunn – Trainee Chef

A Fresh, Local Approach to Menu Creation

Menus are built around what's seasonal, what's close, and what's genuinely good. Guest feedback shapes each revision, ensuring the à la carte offering stays considered and current.

To ensure we are using only the best products, our key suppliers include:

• Ōra King Salmon from Nelson, delivered fresh on ice within a day
• Premium beef sourced from the South Island
• Award-winning cheese from Over the Moon, a boutique cheesemaker in Putaruru, Waikato
• Volcanic Creamery – sourced from the farm just 18km away.
• Vegetables – We source our fresh produce through Fenton Quality, who handpick specifically to meet the lodge's needs.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability here isn't a policy - it's simply how things are done. The kitchen garden is tended by the grounds team in close collaboration with the Head Chef, supplying seasonal vegetables, fruits, and herbs through the growing months. Every dish is made from scratch: bread, sauces, jams, preserves, and even the cookies left in guest rooms. The lodge partners with Volcanic Creamery for daily dairy deliveries in reusable glass bottles, and is one of the few customers to take their full range of five products. Food scraps are recycled through pig bins; suppliers deliver goods in crates that are returned with each next order. Organic ingredients are used wherever possible.

For more on our ongoing efforts, please see our sustainability journey.

Guest Favourites

Over the years, certain dishes have earned a quiet permanence on the menu. Eggs Benedict - made with eggs from the lodge's own free-range chickens - is a perennial favourite, alongside seasonal specialties from the property and wider Rotorua region, and New Zealand classics of lamb and salmon.

The Prawn and Scallop Entrée has become something of a signature. Fresh prawns and plump scallops, served with the roe intact, rest on a vibrant avocado salsa with the bright lift of preserved lemon. It's been on the menu for over a year and shows no sign of leaving - a favourite among guests and our General Manager alike.

Exceptional Dining at The Mains Restaurant – On The Point, Lake Rotorua

Dining at The Mains Restaurant is more than just a meal. It's an unhirried evening in a plac with real history, where the food reflects the land around it and the people who tend to it. Whether you're saying with us or simply coming for a meal, we'd love to have you at the table of one of Rotorua's best restaurants.