New Zealand – a gourmet’s paradise! A land of plenty, a land of fresh, rich foods with distinct characteristics!

New Zealand's cuisine has been described as Pacific Rim, drawing inspiration from Europe, Asia and Polynesia. This blend of influences has created a mouth-watering range of flavors and food in cafes and restaurants nationwide.

For dishes that have a distinctly New Zealand style, there's lamb, pork and cervena (venison), salmon, crayfish (lobster), Bluff oysters, paua (abalone), mussels, scallops, pipis and tuatua (both are types of New Zealand shellfish), kumara (sweet potato), kiwifruit, tamarillo and pavlova, the national dessert. Its distinctiveness is more in the way New Zealanders eat, generally preferring as relaxed and unaffected as possible, in keeping with the laidback Kiwi psyche.

The country's wine industry has grown rapidly in recent years and achieved remarkable success and a great international reputation.  Most of New Zealand's over 600 wineries are accessible for tasting.

What we recommend while visiting New Zealand

• Savoir a wine at one or two of the many vineyards
• Taste our beer at a brewery and talk to some locals “Kiwis”
• Observe cheese makers in their factory
• Visit Orchards (Kiwi fruit, Stone fruit, Olives and Avocado and more…)
• Watch men at work at a mussel, oyster or salmon farm
• Sleep at a sheep, deer or beef farm and eat a home cooked meal with the host
• Overnight at a romantic vineyard
• Hold a picnic and stop at one of the many scenic lookouts
• Stay at Lodges with world class chefs and sample New Zealand seasonal produce
• Savoir meals at the many local gourmet restaurants
• Experience a Hangi (Native feast) with Maori Songs and dancing
• Enjoy a big part of NZ couture “the barbeque”
• Take a boat cruise and catch your own fresh fish