The Cubb vs Custom Wild

The Cubb is a premium outdoor kitchen that can be sent anywhere in New Zealand  and because it isn't fixed into your property, it moves with you if you move house, rather than being left behind. If your circumstances might change in the next few years, or you simply like the idea of taking a serious investment with you rather than starting over, that flexibility is a real feature, not a compromise.

It's made to order, and the process is refreshingly simple: no site measure, no consultation about your specific space. You choose from six BBQs —
- Weber 3600N+
- Grandfire Silver 32,
- Grandfire Classic 32,
- Bull Angus 30,
- Bull Angus Elite 32,
- Weber Slate Griddle 30,

Talk through your colours with us, and we send you render images of your kitchen before it's built, so you know exactly what you're getting well before it arrives. From there we lock in a timeframe, and once it's ready, it's picked up from our factory or shipped anywhere in the country.

Pricing starts from $13,054.43 including the Weber 3600N+, moving up depending on which BBQ you choose, and because it's a defined product, that price is clear from the outset.

Sintered stone (like Dekton) This is one of the strongest options for outdoor benchtops. It's UV-stable so it won't fade, takes on almost no moisture, and is heatproof enough to handle hot pans or trays straight off the BBQ. It also doesn't need sealing or resealing, which matters over the long run,  you're not maintaining it, just wiping it down.
-At wild we use Dekton or in our Trust the cheif, we also have Neolith. Both of these are sinted
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Natural stone (granite, bluestone) A good option if properly sealed, and it holds up well to heat and sun. The trade-off is that natural stone is porous, so it needs resealing every couple of years to keep resisting stains and moisture — an ongoing maintenance cost that sintered stone avoids.
Concrete Handles temperature swings well and can be shaped to a custom design, but needs a good sealant (often an epoxy coating) to properly resist UV and staining, and that sealant will need reapplying over time.
What to avoid: laminate and timber benchtops. Both look fine initially but timber will split and grey over time outdoors, and laminate isn't built to handle sustained moisture or UV.
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‍304 stainless steel is the standard for a reason, it resists corrosion, doesn't fade, and holds up to both heat (sitting next to a hot BBQ) and rain without an issue. It's what's behind good outdoor kitchen hardware (hinges, drawer runners) as well as cabinet frames.
‍Aluminium is a reasonable mid-range alternative, fully corrosion-proof and lighter than steel, though it dents more easily and a powder-coat finish can chip over years of use.
‍What to avoid: anything built from indoor-rated cabinetry materials. Even "moisture-resistant" boards designed for bathrooms aren't rated for direct rain, frost, or constant UV, they're a different level of protection to what a genuinely outdoor space needs.

It's easy to focus on benchtops and cabinets and forget the details, but hardware quality matters just as much for longevity:
‍Hinges and drawer runners should be marine-grade or 304 stainless — these get the most physical wear and are the first thing to fail if they're the wrong spec.
‍Power points, if you're adding a fridge or lighting, need to be outdoor-rated.
‍Drainage around the kitchen area matters more than people expect — water pooling against cabinetry, even weatherproof cabinetry, shortens its life.

For a New Zealand outdoor kitchen that's genuinely built to last through winter after winter, the combination that consistently performs is a sintered stone benchtop (UV-stable, waterproof, no resealing) paired with 304 stainless steel cabinetry and hardware (corrosion-resistant, heatproof, built for constant outdoor exposure). It's a higher upfront cost than timber or laminate, but it's also the difference between an outdoor kitchen that still looks and works like new in ten years, and one that needs replacing in two or three.

Every Wild Kitchen is built with a Dekton sintered stone exterior and Hettich Alfresco hardware for exactly this reason, designed for New Zealand conditions specifically, not adapted from an indoor kitchen spec. If you want to talk through what'll hold up best for your particular spot, coastal, exposed, sheltered, whatever your situation is, get in touch and we'll talk it through.