New Zealand is a paradise for food and wine lovers. Make sure you include some of these Top 10 experiences in your New Zealand holiday.
Whether you want Indian food with a modern twist or something more authentic, New Zealand serves it with aplomb. Try the award-winning Cassia in Auckland, a modern Indian bistro that has locals lining up. For more authentic food, take your pick of restaurants and takeaways around the country – the flavours will take you right back home. Vegetarian or vegan and halal food is readily available throughout New Zealand.
Expect to taste nothing less than the best on a New Zealand wine tour. Take the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail to experience three of our best wine regions (Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough). From Auckland, hop on a short ferry ride to Waiheke, the Island of Wine. If you’re visiting Queenstown, make sure to visit one of the many local wineries in Central Otago to taste the preferred local drop – pinot noir.
Get up early on a weekend and mingle with the locals at a farmers' market. Enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables, and take home treats like jam, pickles and handmade bread. Look out for quintessentially Kiwi flavours like feijoa and kiwifruit. Street food pop-ups are also worth discovering locally.
With one of the longest coastlines, it comes as no surprise that tempting your taste buds with seafood makes it to this list. Hop on a boat cruise in Marlborough to try our world-renowned green mussels or savour the oysters in Mahurangi (Auckland). Try the crayfish at Nin’s Bin at Kaikoura or fish ‘n chips in any New Zealand town – if you love seafood, you’ll love what we serve!
Craft beers are a growing phenomenon in New Zealand, and microbreweries can be found all over the place, especially Wellington, West Coast, Nelson, Christchurch and Auckland. You’ll even find specially brewed ale at Hobbiton Movie Set’s Green Dragon Inn, in Matamata.
Coffee is an obsession in New Zealand, especially in the cities. We drink it strong and fresh – the Kiwi flat white has become world-famous. Simply ask the locals where to find a good brew. Wellington holds the unofficial title of New Zealand’s coffee capital but Auckland and Christchurch never disappoint too.
We love nothing more than a lively festival with plenty of fine wine, craft brew, delicious food and great entertainment. It’s a place to taste the best, sometimes try something wild and always have a good time.
Call it a ‘barbie’, barbeque, barbecue or BBQ – cooking outside is an essential part of the Kiwi cooking culture and epitomises the laid-back New Zealand lifestyle. Barbecues are available in many accommodations, campsites, beaches and parks if you want to give it a try. In Queenstown you can even take a cruise to Walter Peak to enjoy a gourmet BBQ.
Blessed with an abundance of top-quality dairy produce, New Zealand knows how to satisfy fans of cream, cheese and ice cream. Local shops are brimming with some of the best chocolates with Whittaker’s chocolate being an almost mandatory souvenir. For ice cream or gelato hit up Giapo (also serving pani puri ice creams!) in Auckland, Lady Janes in Rotorua, Duck Island Ice Cream in Hamilton or Black Peak Gelato in Wānaka - legendary! Cheese lovers will love the abundant cheese tours.
If you’re visiting any time between December and June, you may like to head out and pick your own fruit. New Zealand has all sorts of berries and stone fruit in summer, while pears, apples and citrus arrive in autumn. At Berrylands in Nelson or Kumeū in Auckland, you can pick your own strawberries and then blend them into ice cream at the orchard café.
