What to Eat and Drink in New Zealand: A Kiwi Food Guide
- Sep 25, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Updated: 18 August 2026
New Zealand doesn't have one single “national cuisine” – and that's part of what makes eating your way around the country so much fun.
You'll find excellent seafood, world-class wine, great little bakeries, farmers' market produce, Māori food traditions and some wonderfully Kiwi things you probably won't find at home.
Some are sophisticated. Some are humble. Some are downright odd. And a few are things many New Zealanders grew up eating.
So, if you're wondering what you should actually eat and drink while travelling around New Zealand, here are some of the things I'd look out for.
1. New Zealand lamb
New Zealand and lamb have been associated for generations, and for good reason.
Our lamb is found on menus right across the country, from casual pubs to some of New Zealand's best restaurants. You'll often find it roasted, grilled or slow-cooked, with seasonal vegetables and sauces that make the most of local produce.
If you enjoy lamb, don't just assume you've had the “New Zealand version” at home. Trying it here, particularly at a good restaurant using locally sourced meat, is part of the experience.
2. New Zealand meat pies
Forget everything you think you know about the humble pie.
A good Kiwi meat pie is a completely legitimate New Zealand food experience.
You'll find them in bakeries, cafés, service stations and dairies across the country. Popular fillings include mince and cheese, steak and cheese, butter chicken and steak and pepper.
They make an excellent quick lunch on a road trip – particularly when you've got another few hours of scenery ahead of you.
And every Kiwi has an opinion about where to find the best one.
3. Fish and chips
Fish and chips aren't uniquely New Zealand, but they are absolutely part of Kiwi life.
A summer evening at the beach with a paper-wrapped parcel of fish and chips is about as uncomplicated as New Zealand gets.
You'll find takeaway shops everywhere, from little coastal settlements to city suburbs. Grab some, find a picnic table or a patch of grass near the water and eat them while keeping an eye out for the local seagulls.
And yes, they will probably be keeping an eye on you too.
4. Pavlova
Few desserts are more closely associated with New Zealand than pavlova – a crisp, meringue-based dessert with a soft, marshmallowy centre, usually piled high with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
Yes, there is a long-running New Zealand–Australia debate about who invented it. We won't settle that here.
What matters when you're visiting New Zealand is that pavlova is firmly part of Kiwi food culture. You'll often see it at Christmas, summer gatherings and on dessert menus, particularly when fresh berries or other seasonal fruit are available.
If you've never tried it, this is one Kiwi classic worth seeking out.
5. Hokey pokey ice cream
If there's one flavour of ice cream you should try in New Zealand, make it hokey pokey.
It's essentially vanilla ice cream with pieces of honeycomb toffee running through it.
It sounds simple. It is simple. And it's extremely good.
You'll find hokey pokey in ice cream shops and supermarkets throughout the country, and it's one of those little tastes of New Zealand that visitors often remember long after they've gone home.
For something even more Kiwi, look out for real fruit ice cream too – soft ice cream blended with fresh or frozen fruit.
6. Kiwifruit
You may already know kiwifruit from your local supermarket, but eating it in New Zealand is still worth doing.
New Zealand helped make kiwifruit an important export crop, and you'll see several varieties grown here, including the familiar green-fleshed fruit and sweeter gold varieties.
And here's a small piece of Kiwi terminology worth knowing: a kiwi is not a fruit. A kiwi is our much-loved native bird, and New Zealanders are also called Kiwis. The fruit is called kiwifruit.
You'll find it in supermarkets, cafés, farmers' markets and fruit stalls, particularly when it's in season.
7. Kūmara
Kūmara is the Māori word for sweet potato, and it has been an important food in Aotearoa for centuries.
Today you'll see kūmara used in all sorts of ways – roasted, mashed, fried, in salads, soups and as a side dish.
You'll often see it on restaurant menus alongside meat or seafood, but you may also come across kūmara chips as an alternative to regular fries.
It's a simple thing to try, but it connects modern New Zealand food with a much older Māori food tradition.
8. New Zealand cheese
New Zealand might be better known internationally for its wine and dairy exports, but our cheese deserves some attention too.
You'll find everything from creamy bries and camemberts to cheddars, blue cheeses and softer washed-rind varieties, with plenty of excellent artisan producers around the country.
Cheese is particularly good to seek out at farmers' markets, local food stores and cellar doors. Pair it with a New Zealand wine and you've got a very easy way to turn a simple stop into a proper local food experience.
If you're travelling through regions such as Canterbury, Waikato, Marlborough or Otago, keep an eye out for locally made cheeses along the way.
9. New Zealand wine
New Zealand's wine industry punches well above its weight.
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is probably the variety most internationally associated with New Zealand, but don't stop there.
You'll also find excellent Pinot Noir, particularly from Central Otago, as well as Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and a growing range of other varieties.
If wine is part of your travel plans, consider visiting a wine region rather than simply ordering a bottle with dinner.
Marlborough, Hawke's Bay, Martinborough and Central Otago all offer very different landscapes and wine experiences.
And that's one of the pleasures of travelling around New Zealand – the wine can become part of the journey rather than simply something you drink at the end of it.
10. Green-lipped mussels
New Zealand's green-lipped mussels are one of our seafood specialities.
They're much larger than many of the mussels you may be used to seeing elsewhere and are harvested around the country, particularly in the Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island.
You'll find them steamed, grilled, baked or incorporated into seafood dishes.
And if you're travelling through Marlborough, this is a particularly good excuse to stop for some local seafood alongside a glass of Marlborough wine.
11. Bluff oysters
If you're travelling through the South Island during oyster season, keep an eye out for Bluff oysters.
They're harvested around the southern tip of the South Island and are prized for their distinctive flavour. They're seasonal, so you won't find them on menus year-round – which is part of the appeal.
If you're an oyster lover, trying Bluff oysters in their home region is one of those small travel experiences that is far more memorable than simply ordering them thousands of kilometres away.
12. Whitebait
Whitebait is a tiny fish that has become particularly associated with parts of the South Island, especially the West Coast.
The season is short and catches can vary, so whitebait is something you'll often encounter as a seasonal speciality rather than an everyday menu item.
The classic preparation is a whitebait fritter – essentially tiny fish held together with egg and lightly cooked.
It's not something you'll necessarily find everywhere, but if you're travelling through the West Coast during the right time of year and spot it on a menu, give it a try.
13. Hāngī
Hāngī isn't really a single dish. It's a traditional Māori method of cooking food in an earth oven.
Food such as meat and vegetables is placed into a pit lined with heated stones, covered and allowed to cook slowly in the steam and heat.
The result is food with a distinctive earthy, smoky flavour and a very different texture from food cooked in a conventional oven.
You'll find hāngī experiences in several parts of New Zealand, particularly where Māori culture and tourism come together.
If you have the opportunity to experience a hāngī as part of a cultural experience, it's worth doing.
You're not simply trying another meal – you're learning about one of the food traditions of Aotearoa.
14. Cheese rolls
Here's one for anyone travelling through the South Island.
Cheese rolls are essentially exactly what they sound like – a savoury cheese filling rolled inside bread and baked until golden.
But there's a catch: they're particularly associated with the southern South Island and are something of a regional Kiwi institution.
You may find versions elsewhere, but if you're travelling through Otago or Southland, keep an eye out for them in cafés and bakeries.
They're simple, comforting and very Kiwi.
15. Kiwi bakery treats
One of the easiest ways to experience everyday New Zealand food is to walk into a local bakery.
You'll likely find meat pies, sausage rolls, cheese scones, sandwiches, slices and all sorts of sweet treats sitting in the cabinet.
You may also encounter some particularly Kiwi favourites such as:
Afghan biscuits – chocolatey biscuits traditionally topped with cornflakes and chocolate icing
Lolly cake – a sweet slice made with malt biscuits and colourful lollies
Anzac biscuits – oat-based biscuits with a long connection to New Zealand and Australia
Custard squares – layers of pastry and vanilla custard topped with icing
You don't need a fancy restaurant reservation for these.
In fact, sometimes the best way to discover what New Zealanders actually eat is simply to walk into a good local bakery and see what's in the cabinet.
16. Flat whites and Kiwi café culture
New Zealand takes coffee seriously.
You'll find excellent independent cafés in cities, towns and surprisingly small places around the country.
The flat white is probably the drink most visitors associate with New Zealand and Australia, although you'll find every style of espresso coffee on a modern Kiwi café menu.
Don't be surprised to see cabinet food alongside the menu either.
A café cabinet might contain slices, muffins, savoury pastries, sandwiches, cheese scones and other freshly made treats.
It's a very Kiwi way of eating – and one of the easiest things to experience while you're travelling.
17. L&P
You can't talk about Kiwi drinks without mentioning L&P.
The name stands for Lemon & Paeroa, and the fizzy soft drink was originally made in the small North Island town of Paeroa.
Its flavour is difficult to describe precisely. It's lemony, sweet and distinctly its own thing.
You may love it.
You may decide you have absolutely no idea what New Zealanders see in it.
Either way, it's worth trying.
18. Manuka honey
Mānuka honey has become internationally famous, but there's a difference between buying a jar overseas and actually encountering it here.
Mānuka is a native New Zealand plant, and honey produced from its nectar is highly sought after.
You'll see it in shops and food stores around the country, sometimes alongside other New Zealand honey varieties.
If you're considering taking honey home, make sure you check the biosecurity and import rules for your destination before packing it in your luggage.
Where should you try New Zealand food?
One of the best things about eating in New Zealand is that you don't need to stick to major cities.
Some of the best food experiences can happen while you're travelling between destinations.
Stop at a bakery in a small South Island town.
Buy fresh fruit at a roadside stall.
Visit a farmers' market.
Have fish and chips beside the ocean.
Stop at a winery in Marlborough or Central Otago.
Order seafood somewhere close to the coast.
Try a local café rather than defaulting to somewhere familiar.
And don't be afraid to ask a Kiwi where they would eat.
We tend to have opinions.
A final word on eating your way around New Zealand
New Zealand food isn't necessarily about finding one dish that defines an entire country.
It's about the combination of things you'll encounter as you travel – excellent produce, seafood, wine, Māori food traditions, local bakeries, café culture and a few wonderfully quirky Kiwi favourites.
Some of them you'll love.
Some you may never order again.
That's part of travelling.
And if you want to experience New Zealand beyond the obvious tourist stops, food is a surprisingly good place to start.
After all, seeing New Zealand through Kiwi eyes isn't just about where you go. It's also about what you eat along the way.
And finally... leave room for ice cream.
Some of the best food memories from a New Zealand road trip aren't necessarily the fancy meals.
They're the roadside stops, the bakery pies, the fish and chips by the beach – and occasionally deciding that the only sensible thing to do is try every flavour of ice cream at once.
I may have taken that last one a little too literally.
