10-Day New Zealand
Itinerary

Hangi

New Zealand's most ancient feast — a Māori earth oven in which meat (pork, chicken, lamb), root vegetables (kumara, potato, pumpkin) and stuffing-filled pork are wrapped in tin foil and wet cloth, lowered onto heated rocks in a lined pit and covered for three to four hours; the steam-cooking imparts a smoky, earthy flavour that no conventional oven can replicate; prepared for every marae gathering and tangi.

Lamb

New Zealand's most internationally famous ingredient — grass-fed on the Canterbury Plains and Otago high country at a ratio of six sheep to every person; the slow maturation in clean, temperate conditions produces a lean, sweet, delicate flavour distinct from European lamb; exported to 100 countries; locally cooked as a rack, slow-roasted shoulder or spit-roast for a hāngī alternative.

Pavlova

New Zealand's fiercely claimed national dessert (disputed equally fiercely by Australia) — a crisp meringue shell with a marshmallow interior piled with freshly whipped cream, passionfruit, kiwifruit and strawberry; the passionfruit curd dripping down the sides is the defining image of every New Zealand Christmas lunch; the origin story features ballerina Anna Pavlova's 1926 tour.

Whitebait Fritters

New Zealand's most prized seasonal delicacy — tiny juvenile fish (galaxiid species) so small they are cooked whole and without cleaning, bound in a minimal egg batter and pan-fried in butter to a golden fritter in which the entire fish is visible; eaten between slices of white bread with lemon and white pepper; the season runs September to November; the waiting list for West Coast whitebaiter huts is decades long.

Green-lipped Mussels

New Zealand's most famous seafood export — the Perna canaliculus mussel, distinguished by its vivid emerald lip and its exceptional size (up to 24cm); grown on rope farms in Marlborough Sounds and Coromandel; steamed with white wine and herbs or served chilled with vinaigrette; exported to 60 countries; the green-lipped mussel oil supplement industry is a separate global business.