New Zealand Food Guide

After years of trying, I finally managed to coral Alison into a camper van for a 10 day tour of the beautiful South Island of New Zealand. In this food guide, we have included some of the memorable places we visited which hopefully you may find useful in planning your own trip to this amazing place.

In addition to the stunning scenery, a large part of the appeal was the abundance of great wineries producing some amazing (and incredibly cheap!) Pinot Noir and the promise of some amazing fresh, organic produce served at some of the islands best cafes and restaurants.

As with most places we visit, we did a lot of online research to find places to eat. We also found numerous lists of ‘must try’ local delicacies – some more appealing than others!

As a Brit, I’m familiar with Marmite, the popular yeast extract that can be spread on pretty much anything. I love fresh whitebait but prefer mine to be flash fried, well seasoned and drizzled with lemon juice. In New Zealand, they are generally served in an egg and flour fritter which did not seem as appealing.

Blue Cod, Lamb, Oysters and Salmon are must tries and if you want to drive your camper with a pie in your hand, New Zealand’s bakeries can give Australia a good run for their money.

Slightly more left field are Southland Cheese Rolls which can be found in almost all roadside cafes and gas stations. We didn’t eat any but they consist of a slice of white bread, spread with a mixture of grated cheese, evaporated milk, onion soup powder (yep), chopped onions and garlic. The slice is then rolled and baked for 5-10 mins.

My two favorite local treats were Lemon & Paeroa (L&P), a fizzy lemon drink made with carbonated water from Paeroa and Hokey Pokey. We both loved Hokey Pokey Ice Cream, essentially vanilla ice cream with swirls and lumps of caramel. We also found shortbread hokey pokey cookies which were a great road trip snack! New Zealanders consume 5 million liters of Hokey Pokey Ice Cream every year, which is quite impressive for a population of only 4.7 million. It really is their favourite!

Not surprisingly, the best selection of food can be found in the larger towns. We did find that even some of the smaller places we stayed at had some great cafes and bistros, many making use of the fresh seafood along the coast or the great produce that is grown locally. With a buoyant (pun completely intended) fishing industry and a ‘sheep to people’ ratio of around six to one, it’s not surprising that most menus are heavy on both seafood and meat. There are however an abundance of excellent vegetarian and vegan restaurants and most others will have a good selection of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options.

I should also point out that our camper van was equipped with both a stove and a fridge. The fridge came in handy for chilling craft beer and sauvignon blanc but the stove just looked like hard work. One of the best parts of our trip was waking early for sunrise walks on the beach or a stroll into town to find coffee at a local bakery. Even on the mornings when we hit the road early, we were not deprived of good quality coffee. Kiwi’s LOVE their coffee and a decent brew can be found everywhere. Even some of the dankest looking road side truck stops and gas stations will have a shiny espresso machine and proudly display their affiliation with a local roaster. We stopped at too many to detail but if you are on a self drive vacation, pack your own travel mug to save the planet, get a discount and receive approving nods from the baristas. So now for the Food Guide:

Queenstown

We stayed in Queenstown for two nights. After two nights sleeping in the van and an exhausting hike to the summit of Roy’s Peak, we were both quite happy to relax and soak up the lakefront views from our balcony of the amazing Rees Hotel.

As the ‘Adventure’ capital of New Zealand, the crowd is quite diverse but also very young. It’s popular with backpackers and has a good number of lively bars and cheap eats. There are also a number of higher end places, some along the quayside offering great fresh seafood and amazing views.

Bespoke Kitchen – A very popular spot with a great patio and courtyard, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. It closed daily at 5.00pm. My advice would be to walk as parking was scarce when we visited. A seasonal menu using free range / free farmed and locally procured produce, they offer some great vegetarian and vegan options. A separate coffee bar inside serves excellent flat whites to go.
Yonder – We loved this place so much we went twice, once for brunch and again for dinner. Yonder has won a number of accolades including ‘best happy hour’ and ‘best cafe’ in Queenstown. A great patio outside, on some evenings, the venue hosts lively music events. The menu is quite diverse with local favorites (bacon butty!) and other Asian and Tex-Mex inspired favorites. A wide range of GF, vegan and vegetarian options all cooked fresh with great local produce. They also have a good range of local craft beers and serve a pretty mean Bloody Mary!
Fergburger – I feel that Fergburger could easily warrant it’s own blog post and if you are interested in the history and hype, there are plenty of them to be found online. In short, they are considered by many to be ‘The best burgers in the world.’ They are open 21 hours a day from 8.00 am to 5.00 am and due to their entirely word of mouth reputation, you will need to queue…even at 5.00 am! I generally refuse to queue anywhere for food, life is too short and there are always other places to try… but I was intrigued! Are they as good as everyone suggests and why? I’ve eaten ribs in Charlie Vergo’s in Memphis, Hot Dogs in New York and deep dish pizza in Chicago but I couldn’t recall a ‘memorable’ burger? Fast food isn’t supposed to be memorable and if it is, it’s likely the place, not the food itself? In any event, I had to try so after a few beers one evening, we joined the queue, relatively short at around 11.00pm. Alison ordered the vegetarian Ferg-lafel (formerly known as the Bun Laden) and I ordered the traditional cheeseburger, both delivered in around 20 minutes and we managed to grab one of only 4-5 tables outside. Was it the best burger in the world? I will let you judge for yourself. It was pretty damn good and definitely worth a visit, even if you need to queue.
Akarua – Nestled in the rolling hills of the wine region just North of Queenstown is Akarua Wines & Kitchen. We stopped for brunch before driving to Te Anau. We arrived too early for their cellar door but the kitchen, run by executive chef John Pickens, had been recommended in it’s own right. The menu is focused on sustainable and fresh produce sourced locally from the Central Otago region. It is beautifully presented and the outdoor seating area, a courtyard surrounded by plants and flowers is a great place to spend an hour or two. The restaurant has it’s own smokestack and cures local fresh salmon, which I had with poached eggs and hollandaise on a spinach waffle with a side of handmade apple cider sausages. Alison ordered french toast with rose roasted nectarines, shaved coconut, mascarpone creme and walnut praline. They were both as amazing as they sound and my only regret is that we didn’t visit at lunchtime to pair the food with some great wine.

We were also recommended Rata, however, we were unable to get a table.

For drinks, we visited The Pier, a popular spot along the quayside with a large patio, good service and a good view over the water. I didn’t indulge but they also serve a wide range of seafood including fresh oysters. There are a number of F&B options along this stretch and it’s a popular place at sunset. As the area is likely more focused towards tourists, the prices for both food and drink are slightly higher than in the nearby town center.
The World Bar on the corner of Church Street is also a popular hangout with a great range of craft beers, a full bar menu, a large patio and space heaters for the colder months.
1876 is another lively bar situated in an old courthouse building on Ballarat Street. It’s definitely more of a dive bar / drinks place although it has an extensive pub style menu. It boasts a large elevated patio strung with fairy lights that is crowded at happy hour. The range of beers is great, the prices are low and the staff were super friendly.

Wanaka

We only spent one night in Wanaka and as we left very early to hike Roy’s Peak the following morning, we ate very early. There are a number of restaurants and cafes on Ardmore Street which runs along the edge of the lake. The area seems to cater mainly to tourists and many of the menus were very similar, heavy on the standard New Zealand favorites such as fish and chips, rack of lamb and grilled salmon. We had a couple of drinks in The Lake Bar, a very typical New Zealand bar with a large patio and a good range of beers and wine.

Big Fig Wanaka – Big Fig is a super popular spot and it’s very easy to see why. It’s a buffet style concept where you queue to select a bowl size, and then point to fill it with a range of proteins, salads and vegetables. There are vegetarian and vegan options available, the food was fresh and full of flavor and portion sizes were generous. Seating is on shared tables and turnover is quite fast. There was a short queue when we visited but it was definitely worth the wait. We later learned that there is also a venue in Queenstown.
Patagonia – A coffee and sweet treats cafe with several locations including Wanaka and Queenstown. You won’t struggle to find good coffee anywhere but Patagonia is a great space with a peaceful outdoor seating area. They offer chocolates, cakes, ice cream and of course freshly roasted coffee. We just grabbed coffees for our road trip, however, the hokey pokey ice cream (ice cream with honeycomb) seemed to be a popular choice.

Christchurch

We only had one evening in Christchurch before our flight home but we managed to squeeze in several drinks and a great dinner and breakfast. Christchurch is still rebuilding following the significant destruction during the 2011 earthquake. Many of the buildings are new and others have been restored or re-purposed. As a result, there are a variety of foodie options ranging from high end to hipster hole in the wall.

We had drinks in The O.G.B., (Old Government Building), a converted period building with a great outdoor space near Cathedral Square. We also had pre-dinner cocktails at The Last Word, a very hipster whisky bar on the popular New Regent Street. In addition to a very impressive range of whisky, the bar serves great cocktails and a wide range of craft beers. The service was friendly and on the day we visited, the music was a mix of late 80’s and early 90’s British Indie… so I was very happy! The popular tourist tram runs along New Regent Street so this is a good spot to hop off, take some photos and enjoy a drink or two.

Twenty Seven Steps – A very popular spot (book in advance to ensure a table) on New Regent Street, this great restaurant has a small ground floor bar with outside tables with the main dining room up the 27 stairs from which the name is derived. This was one of the standout meals on our trip. They have a focused menu showcasing local ingredients. All of our dishes were packed with flavor and beautifully presented. We were served freshly baked tomato bread to start. Alison ordered the vegan cauliflower with olives, dukkah and vegan labnah as a starter and the vegan wellington as the main. I ordered the local Akoroa salmon with charred and pickled cucumber and a yogurt and cucumber sorbet with the roast Canterbury lamb rack as my main. Their wine list is reasonably priced with some amazing local options.

Miro – Unfortunately, it was raining when we visited Miro for breakfast because the restored heritage building has an inviting looking patio. The building itself is unique, a red brick pile with an decor reminiscent of an old law firm or perhaps a private members club. Alison ordered the fancy looking blueberry and chocolate pancakes and I ordered the Turkish eggs. Both were beautifully presented and the service was excellent. The sourdough was fantastic but if I’m being honest, the eggs were a little disappointing.

Dunedin

We arrived in Dunedin for a one night stay on a rainy Sunday afternoon to find that many places were closed for the day. Our hotel suggested Plato for fresh seafood, but after a long day of exploring the coast, we were too tired to venture farther than the Octagon, the downtown core / entertainment district.

We had drinks at the Craft Bar & Kitchen and at the Mac’s Brew Bar, a must if you like craft beer. As Bacchus Wine Bar and Restaurant was closed for the day, we ate dinner at the Asian fusion restaurant Vault 21. Alison ordered the yellow pumpkin curry and I had the plum wood smoked lamb rump bruschetta. The food was good, but it was more like a ‘pub dining’ experience.

On our way out of Dunedin we stopped at Morning Magpie a highly recommended cafe on Stuart Street. We grabbed freshly baked cinnamon rolls (“scrolls”) for the road and washed them down with their fantastic espresso.

On the road between Dunedin and Christchurch we stopped at Arthur Street Kitchen (in the town of Timaru) for take away coffees and snacks. Had we had more time, we would have sampled more of the menu. There were many gluten-free, and vegetarian options in both the bakery and on the menu.

DRINK

We traveled through both the Central Otago and the Canterbury wine districts, however, we only managed to stop at two wineries – Akarua (for brunch) and Amisfield (tasting only). For reds, pinot noir is the top game in town and for whites, sauvignon blanc, although the Marlborough region is more well known. We happily added to our luggage weight with bottles of rose, fume sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.

Luckily, most restaurants in New Zealand have a wide selection of local wines so we managed to try quite a few. My favourite pinot noir was the Surveyor-Thompson, from the winery Domaine Thompson. The region also produces quite a number of French style rose which are more dry for a pleasant lunchtime drink (on a warm and sunny day).

In addition to a vibrant wine scene, the craft brewing scene is also top notch. Most local bars have a wide range of IPA’s, APA’s, XPA’s and Seasonal brews both on draft and in bottles.

I kept the camper van fridge well stocked with craft beer. The local ‘Mac’s’ was fantastic, especially their ‘Green Beret IPA’. I also enjoyed a variety of offerings from Sawmill, from the North Island. Many of the larger liquor stores sell Squealers and Growlers (both plastic and glass) of popular beers and ciders. These are freshly poured in store, however, you may wish to check the capacity of the camper van fridge before you buy!