New Zealand Food Guide: Must-Try Dishes & Local Cuisine

Overview

New Zealand's food scene blends fresh local produce, Maori culinary traditions and strong Pacific and Asian influences into a distinctive, ingredient-driven cuisine that rewards travellers who venture beyond hotel breakfasts.

Traditional Maori Hangi

A traditional hangi feast — meat, seafood and vegetables slow-cooked underground over heated stones for several hours — is one of the most memorable cultural and culinary experiences you can have, often paired with a Maori cultural performance.

Fresh Seafood

Green-lipped mussels, fresh crayfish (rock lobster) and classic fish and chips wrapped in paper are New Zealand seafood staples, best enjoyed straight off the boat in coastal towns like Kaikoura or the Coromandel.

Sweet Treats

Pavlova, the meringue-based dessert both New Zealand and Australia claim as their own, and hokey pokey ice cream — vanilla studded with honeycomb toffee — are beloved local sweets found in cafes nationwide.

Wine & Craft Beer

Marlborough, on the South Island, is world-renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc, while a thriving craft beer scene has taken hold in cities like Wellington and Christchurch, making brewery and vineyard tours a popular add-on to any itinerary.