Game Keepers Restaurant is the resident restaurant of Settlers Country Manor, a heritage estate on Waimauku Station Road in West Auckland, just a few minutes from Kumeū. The kitchen serves fresh, scrumptious New Zealand cuisine made with local ingredients, where classic cooking meets a modern touch — the same team that caters the Manor's weddings and functions through the week.The setting is half the appeal: fireside tables beneath chandeliers in the Manor's vintage-styled rooms, relaxed garden seating outdoors, and private spaces for celebrations of their own. Each corner offers its own atmosphere, from long lunches on the lawns to dinners by the fire.Beyond à la carte dining with a dedicated wine and beverage list, the kitchen runs the food programme for the estate's busy events calendar — garden-bar canapés, a premium buffet served on white marble with gold detailing, formal plated set menus, styled dessert displays and full beverage packages, all prepared onsite and tailored to dietary and cultural needs.Groups of 14 adults or more can be accommodated by email arrangement, a dedicated children's menu keeps younger guests happy, and gift vouchers are available. Bookings can be made online or by phone on 09 411 7809.
Game Keepers Restaurant is the resident restaurant of Settlers Country Manor, a heritage estate on Waimauku Station Road a few minutes from Kumeū in West Auckland. The kitchen's brief is straightforward: fresh, scrumptious New Zealand cuisine made with local ingredients, where classic cooking meets a modern touch.There's a quiet confidence to a restaurant that shares its kitchen with a busy weddings and functions calendar. The same team that serves canapés at garden cocktail hours and plated receptions for large celebrations is the one cooking à la carte through the week — standards honed, in effect, on some of the biggest days in people's lives. Nothing brings people together like great food and wine, and the restaurant leans into that.
Few Auckland restaurants can offer this range of settings in one place. Inside, fireside tables sit beneath chandeliers in the Manor's vintage-styled dining rooms; outdoors, the gardens seat diners on fine days; and private spaces host celebrations of their own. Each corner has its own atmosphere, which makes Game Keepers an easy choice whether you're gathering friends, marking an anniversary or booking something bigger.Hours are generous too. The restaurant opens for dinner on Monday and Wednesday from 5pm, and from 11:00am until late Thursday through Sunday — workable for long weekend lunches as easily as midweek dinners. The menu is anchored by an à la carte list with a dedicated wine and beverage menu alongside it, covering brunch, lunch, dinner and every occasion in between, crafted from the finest local ingredients.
Food is central to Settlers Country Manor's reputation as an events venue — and that reputation has runs on the board. The estate has been named the No. 1 Garden Wedding Venue in the Couples' Choice Awards NZ and was a double finalist in the Wedding Industry Awards NZ.Wedding dining here flows with the day. Canapés, freshly prepared and beautifully presented, come out from the garden bar as guests move from ceremony to cocktail hour on the lawns. Receptions then take one of two shapes: the Wedding Premium Buffet, a generous spread served on the signature white marble table with gold detailing, or the Wedding Set Menu, a formal plated service where entrée, main and dessert are timed for a seamless evening. Dessert can become a moment of its own, with a styled display of house-made desserts arranged alongside the wedding cake, and beverage packages cover wines, bubbles, beers and non-alcoholic options — signature cocktails optional.Flexibility is a clear theme. The kitchen regularly caters for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and other dietary requirements, confirmed ahead of the day; external caterers are permitted where cultural or specialty cuisine matters; and cultural or family dishes can be added to the buffet. BYO wine is welcome subject to corkage, a complimentary menu tasting lets couples sample selected dishes before committing, and a dedicated children's menu keeps younger guests happy.
The same food programme extends across corporate functions, private functions, Christmas functions and school balls, so whatever the occasion the format is familiar: good local produce, professional service and a setting with genuine character. Gift vouchers are available if you'd rather let someone else choose the moment.Practically, it's simple. Game Keepers sits at 81 Waimauku Station Road, Waimauku; bookings can be made online or by phone on 09 411 7809, and groups of 14 adults or more should email info@settlersmanor.co.nz so the team can look after you properly. Come cooler months, aim for a table by the fire beneath the chandeliers; on a fine day, take the garden — either way, you're dining in one of West Auckland's more atmospheric rooms.