Street food in New Zealand

Street Food New Zealand

First of all, NZ has top-quality coffee – wherever you go! Also, NZ cuisine takes the best of Asian and European cuisine and turns it into something unique. Wineries often have a cafe at the cellar door. Check out the menu and you might find something totally unexpected and delicious.

Now to the classics. The most popular takeaway food is Fish & Chips. Any Kiwi knows NZ Fish & Chips are the best in the world! If you had enough Fish & Chips – is that even possible? – there are sausage rolls, as well as a variety of savoury pies that are available at any cafe, corner store (called dairy), and petrol station. These foods are best enjoyed on a beach, of which NZ has plenty.

If you have a sweet tooth, there is a variety of flat cakes called slices available in any cafe. Carrot cake is another all-time favourite.

For a hearty meal in a pub, ask for the roast of the day. Whatever they made will be good, but lamb shanks are the best!

~Frank Mueller


Honeycomb ice cream with honeycomb toffee and hot toffee sauce.
Honeycomb ice cream with honeycomb toffee and hot toffee sauce.
Ben Sutherland

Hokey pokey ice cream: toffee mixed with vanilla. Awesome. Can be purchased at any local grocery store, best served in a cone.

Paua fritters with kumara chips. Paua is a type of shellfish, kumara is a type of potato found only in NZ. Can be purchased at most local fish and chip shops.

Hangi takeaway. Pork, beef, mutton, root potatoes and cabbage are cooked in a traditional Maori earth oven. The flavour is sublime. 

~ Ronnie Hughan, AFF Instructor and Tandem Instructor/Examiner at US Parachute Association (1996-present)


Best New Zealand Food

Hangi and boil up! And quite easy to make yourself or with the help of friends and family for the hangi pit or some land so you can make your own hangi pit. Or you can use a steamer. Ground hangi is the best though.

Hangi is meat and vegetables wrapped in tin foil and cooked in a hole in the ground using coal etc. Or you can steam everything I said above. But it doesn’t have the same taste as a ground hangi. But it’s ka-pai in my opinion!

Putting down a hāngi, New Zealand food
Preparation of a modern hāngi for tourists at Mitai, Rotorua
Einalemhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/einalem/2123097939/

Boil up is also meat, preferably brisket or pork bones is a fave, and any green vegetable, whether it is watercress, puha, silverbeet, or spinach and you boil it together in the biggest pot you can find. And then you add potatoes. Add some dough bois if you know how to make them.

~ Santana Charmaine lives in New Zealand


The Pavlova. It’s a delicious meringue-based dessert.

There is some controversy around the country of origin – the Australians also lay claim to the Pavlova as their own. However, according to Wikipedia, formal research now confirms the Pavlova as a Kiwi dish.

Pavlova dessert with topping of kiwifruit, strawberries and passionfruit.
Pavlova dessert with a topping of kiwifruit, strawberries and passionfruit.
Hazel Fowler

 ~ Abu Amin, no handlebars


I’ve just written about this so it’s fresh in my mind and my favourites (after some very serious research) were…

  1. Bluff Oysters – They’re just so good… I prefer them raw with a bit of lemon but they’re not bad battered and fried too
  2. Green-lipped Mussels – I can eat these by the bucketful served. Great with a creamy sauce and lots of garlic
  3. Kumara fries – Kumara (a type of sweet potato) tastes best when served as fries (like most things) with a dollop of aioli on the side.
  4. Kiwi Burger – Beef, onion, cheese, lettuce, tomato, egg and beetroot… The best burger to be found… And I don’t even like beetroot!
  5. Mince and Cheese Pies – Kiwi pies are different from British pies which tend to be served in pans with pastry on the top only. Ours is fully covered (like their pasties but better) and comes in a range of fillings with Mince and Cheese being the best!
  6. Pavlova – Been mentioned a few times already I think with good reason. Light, sweet and beautiful. Made even better with Kiwi, passionfruit, cherry or mandarin toppings.
  7. Roast Lamb – You can buy it in supermarkets around the world but it’s always best at home. Season with salt, garlic, and rosemary and you’re away!
  8. Feijoa – Most people outside New Zealand haven’t even heard of feijoas before but they’re world-famous here and plentiful. Sweet and tangy, they’re quite addictive once you get started on them.
  9. Paua – The steak of the sea and type of abalone – Paua is delicious when cooked as a fritter and enjoyed by the sea!
  10. Whitebait Fritter – Equally good, if not better, are Whitebait Fritters. Kiwi Whitebait is again different to what you get overseas, which are bigger and more like sardines. Ours are the youthful smaller versions with a much more subtle taste of the sea. Yum!

Hungry writing about all this again so going to leave it at that but feel free to read my longer version of this with 9 additional New Zealand food delicacies.

~ Yohei Guy, SEO and Content Manager (2018-present)

So, what is your best New Zealand food?


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What are the best places in New Zealand?

There’s so much to see and do in this country, I couldn’t possibly list it all here. Here are some of my highlights to visit if you’re on a 2–4 week holiday. I suggest renting a car or van to get around as you have the freedom to stop at the many lovely spots along the way to bigger highlights. The seasons will affect the type of holiday you have here so be sure to consider whether you’re looking for warm and mild temperatures or snow adventures!

North Island

The Bay of Islands is a subtropical wonderland of beautiful beaches and islands worth spending a few days on if you’re here to relax. I see New Zealand as more of an active adventure holiday spot though and all that stuff is to be found further south.

The Coromandel has some beautiful beaches with excellent walks and the hot water beach is very interesting here- you can make your own jacuzzi bath by digging into the sand on the hot water beach!

Rotorua is home to many geothermal parks where you can witness some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Bubbling sulfur cauldrons and mysterious mud that cracks through the surface of the earth. It’s also the perfect place for visiting thermal baths.

Lake Taupo is a great adventure sports hub that is cheaper than its South Island counterpart Queenstown. It’s also a very beautiful lake and the best base for exploring the mountain ranges for amazing trekking like the Tongariro Crossing.

Waitomo Glow Worm Caves are a real sight to behold, a huge network of caves where it’s possible to witness the glowing worms above your head.

If you’re into Lord of the Rings then you can visit Hobbiton!

The South Island

Kaikoura is a beautiful coastal town on a peninsula and it’s the best place to see whales which I highly recommend that you do. It was my highlight of NZ.

Marlborough is an excellent wine region in the north where you can do many tastings and also see the beautiful Marlborough sounds if you head to Picton. The drive up here from Kaikoura is beautiful and offers the chance to see sea lion colonies.

The Fiordland National Park is home to some of the most stunning coastal scenery in the world, similar to Marlborough but bigger and more majestic. Head to Doubtful Sound for a calmer and quieter experience, or Milford Sound which is more frequented by tourists. They are both in the south and make sure you have good weather before spending money on a tour here. Apologies I couldn’t find any blue sky photos for these places, you have to be really lucky to get those!

Doubtful Sound

Milford Sound

Abel Tasman is excellent for trekking and lovely walks in lush green forests and secluded beaches.

The west coast of the south island is known for its gorgeous landscape including the Pancake Rocks and many wild beaches. Driving here through the middle of the island will take you through Arthur’s Pass or Lewis Pass which are both stunning and deserve to be taken slowly to soak up the views.

Many people visit Franz Josef Glacier or Fox Glacier on their NZ trip but I personally wouldn’t bother. I went 5 years ago and hiked on it which was amazing, and then went back this January and you wouldn’t believe how much it has receded. It’s not worth the time, but they won’t tell you that as they still have to make money from this attraction. If you’re interested in glaciers you must go to Patagonia, but don’t waste your time on this trip, there’s so much more to see here.

Lake Wanaka and Queenstown are beautiful calm lakeside resorts with plenty of activities to do. Wanaka is quieter and the drive here from the west coast is insanely beautiful. Queenstown is more of a party town, but that’s in NZ standards so it’s still pretty chilled. There’s plenty of fun to be had late at night at the bars in town though. And giant food as well at Ferg Burger and Fat Badger’s Pizza. Work it all off by doing a skydive 😉

Queenstown

Queenstown, New Zealand
Image by Holger Detje from Pixabay

Wanaka

Lake Wanaka, New Zealand
Image by Michelle Maria from Pixabay


~ Lauren Gold
, lived in New Zealand


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Best FOOD in Queenstown, NEW ZEALAND

Queenstown

Queenstown, New Zealand

Kiwi classics- a mince and cheese pie and a sausage roll, find a delicious sticky bun in Arrowtown and eat it in the Chinese Settlement plus head to Cardrona Hotel- one of New Zealand’s most iconic buildings.

What to eat and where to eat it:

1. Mince and cheese pie and sausage roll at Fergbaker, 40 Shotover St, Queenstown 9300. Open daily 6:30 am to 4:30 am

2. Sticky Bun from Provisions, 65 Buckingham St, Arrowtown 9302. Open daily 8:00am to 5:00pm.

3. A pint at the Cardrona Hotel, Cardrona Valley Rd, Cardrona 9381 4. Little Lamby and Fergburger from Fergburger, 42 Shotover St, Queenstown 9300. Open 8:00am to 5:00am. Also recommended for fine dining:

4. Amisfield Bistro and Cellar Door, 10 Arrowtown-Lake Hayes Rd, Frankton, Queenstown 9371. Open daily 12:00pm to 8:00pm. 5. Rata, Te Nuku, 43 Ballarat St, Queenstown 9348. Open daily 12:00pm to 8:00pm.

#queenstownfoodguide#queenstownfood#nzfoodtour


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What to eat in Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland

AUCKLAND FOOD TOUR by LOCALS

What to eat in Auckland, New Zealand | New Zealand food tour

Auckland is a very multi-cultural city and the food scene is diverse and vibrant, traditional hāngi, Indian chaat, Szechaun noodles and a unique Samoan pie.

What to eat and where to eat it:

  • 1. Hāngi from The Māori Kitchen, Queens Wharf International Cruise Terminal, 89 Quay St, Auckland 1010, New Zealand. Open daily 7:00am to 4:00pm.
  • 2. Chaat from Mumbai Chaat, 1 Kitchener Rd, Sandringham, Auckland 1025, New Zealand. Open Monday 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 am to 9:00 pm, Friday to Sunday 11:30 am to 9:30 pm.
  • 3. Dan dan noodles and dumplings from Eden Noodles, 105 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024, New Zealand. Open 11:30am to 9:30pm.
  • 4. Palusami pie from Blue Rose, 414 Sandringham Rd, Sandringham, Auckland 1025, New Zealand. Open Monday 9:00am to 3:00pm, Tuesday to Friday 7:00am to 3:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 8:00am to 4:00pm

#aucklandfoodtour#aucklandfood#nzfood


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