These New Zealand dining experiences are worth travelling for

Aotearoa-New Zealand is regularly held as the gold standard for wild, untamed beauty. Craggy peaks falling to misty rainforest, snaking rivers and golden grassland; sapphire waters teeming with diverse marine life. As you’d expect, it’s an agricultural powerhouse too.

On top of producing crisp whites and bold reds across the wine regions, Kiwis have a global rep for incredible seafood and succulent game meats, for fragrant truffles and bitey, artisanal cheeses. Plus they know exactly what to do with it.

Tuck into great food and fabulous wine at Ayrburn.

Naturally, there are some truly phenomenal restaurants dotted across the length and breadth of New Zealand. Here are some of the best. 

Send your taste buds into overdrive in Wellington

Ask non-Kiwis to name something cool or interesting about Wellington and most will likely draw a blank. That’s not to say the city has nothing to offer (far from it) – it’s just that hard to steal the spotlight from the considerably larger Auckland to the north.

Oysters like you've never tried them before.

However, those who have taken the time to discover Wellington will gladly sing its praises, from the arts scene to the wonderful Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa down by the waterfront. Dining is also worth relishing, in particular the Maori flavours of Hiakai.

The venue is enchanting too.

An experience, not just a meal, Hiakai’s degustation takes palates through a journey of Maori and Pasifika concepts, legends and contemporary stories, with local ingredients made to sing.

From $225 per person at Hiakai.

Dine at the Lyttelton ‘test kitchen’ with no menu

Scanning the menu before committing to a restaurant is pretty standard. However, that’s not possible at Mapu in Lyttelton – there’s no menu. In fact, chef Giulio Sturla doesn't even call it a restaurant. It’s a test kitchen, and welcomes just six guests at a time.

Sturla's cooking style allows the natural flavours of ingredients to shine.
R+A Creative

Prepared in front of you with diners seated around the kitchen (meaning plenty of opportunity to chat with the chef about inspiration and the source of the seasonal dishes), the five-course degustation is determined by whatever nature offers on the day.

Mapu is a perfect blend of theatre and food.
R+A Creative

Tickets to the dining experience are released monthly, so it pays to plan your trip well in advance (and be a little flexible) if you’re hoping to add this onto your hit list.

From $330 per person at Mapu.

Visit a world-class food and wine destination near Queenstown

If the adventure capital of Queenstown and historic Arrowtown were two slices of bread, Ayrburn – a recently-opened destination dining precinct uniting five restaurants and bars in one picturesque location – would be the delicious filling between.

Ayrburn is beautiful outside and within.

Taking its name from the farm on which it resides, Ayrburn’s meticulously-restored buildings have been reborn, though the past is never far away, with several venues named after the location’s original purpose. The Manure Room, for example.

The rustically charming Manure Room.

Though it’s name is a bit on the nose, The Manure Room is actually a sleek wine bar – one you wouldn’t mind inhaling fragrant aromas in. Other hangouts include The Dairy for sweet treats, the Woolshed for courtyard dining, and Burr Bar for whiskey sips.

Find out more at ayrburn.com

Go back to basics at this Canterbury cooking school

Tapping into the rich culinary story of Kaikoura, around 2.5 hours drive from Christchurch in beautiful Canterbury, Hapuku Kitchen is one for foodies who want to reconnect their cooking with the land and sea, and learn some new skills in the process.

Classes are small and hands-on, allowing personalised guidance.

Catering to cooks of all levels, the half-full day experiences see participants help harvest, forage and collect ingredients, before learning to prepare them using traditional cooking methods.

Naturally, there will be lots (and lots) of eating too, so maybe skip that long lunch beforehand. 

Supper Club is a unique dining experience in the home of Hapuku owners Chris and Fiona.

Whether you choose the farm-to-table group class or a private cooking lesson, or simply stop by for a seasonal feast in its home-style Supper Club, you’re guaranteed to leave with a full belly and deeper understanding of the produce on your plate.

From $350 per person at Hapuku Kitchen.

Soar to the most inaccessible (yet beautiful) dining spots

What’s better than enjoying a bountiful picnic overflowing with Champagne, fruits and delicious cheeses? One that starts with a helicopter flight over the jaw-dropping landscape of Queenstown and Central Otago, before ferrying to your picnic perch of choice.

Bespoke experiences are also available.

That’s the gist of Over the Top’s Grape From Above package, yet it’s not the only one worth climbing aboard its Airbus Squirrel for. Others include Milford Ultimate, a 4-hour odyssey taking in alpine lakes, glaciers and beaches, with plenty of picnicking too.

OTT's Milford Ultimate experience includes four remote landings.

There’s also a Wine by Invitation package allowing you to join ‘drop in’ and collect the patriarch of Otago Pinot Noir from his vineyard, and then take a behind the scenes look into the wine heritage of the region. Bespoke adventures are also available.

Find out more at Over the Top.

Explore Maori culture on a progressive food safari

Progressive meals are always a fun option when you have limited time in a city. Amiki Tours in Christchurch offers exactly this, with its three hour food safari revelling in some of the city’s hottest drinking and dining venues… but there’s a twist.

The progressive tour takes you outside restaurants to experience the surrounds between courses.
Miles Holden

Rather than simply ferrying you from one restaurant to another, the Maori-led tour is designed to give you a deeper appreciation for the area’s culture between courses – the history, the stories and the local identities making their modern stamp on Christchurch.

Amiki Tours showcases the best of the city's emerging foodie scene.
Miles Holden

Designed for groups of 2-12, it’s an experience worth relishing. You can also upgrade to enjoy premium pairings which might include limited-release wines, botanicals distilled in the region, or specially crafted cocktails.

From $225 per person from Amiki Cultural Food Tours.

Savour flavours cooked over geothermal vents

There are countless ways to cook: over coals, on the stove, in the oven, in tagines… but chances are you’ve never had a meal cooked over steaming geothermal vents. Pataka Kai Restaurant in Rotorua does just this.

The restaurant overlooks Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley.
Te Puia

Putting a unique twist on Maori cuisine, chefs use vents in the Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley to steam puddings, which are then finished off with burnt sugar and served as part of a bountiful buffet featuring seafood, manuka smoked ham and hangi chicken.

A dining experience like no other.
Te Puia

Guided tours by torchlight take you beyond the dining room to experience the bubbling cooking pool up close, while also giving you a chance to hear stories of Maori myths passed down through generations.

From $54 per adult at Pataka Kai Restaurant.

A bucket list 3 Hat experience amid the vines of Otago

Central Otago region is renowned for its dramatic scenery and incredible skiing, not to mention its veritable Eden of award-winning wineries. And what pairs perfectly with great wine? Fabulous food, of course – and Amisfield delivers both.

Whether indoors, outside or in the conservatory, this is a dining experience you won't want to miss.

Set within an enchanting stone building, the bucket list Three Hat restaurant plates up a degustation hailed as ‘an exploration of the season’s best produce’, with the 11 to 16 dishes complemented by wines from the Amisfield estate’s own organic vineyard.

The menu is a journey through the seasons.

Open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday or dinner from Thursday to Saturday, Amisfield is just 25 minutes outside of Queenstown, making it a fantastic choice for après-ski in winter months.

From $180 per person at Amisfield.

Catch and cook in the Marlborough Sounds

Biting into succulent seafood is always a good idea. However, having the chance to first catch said seafood before seeing it turned into a mouth-watering meal before your eyes is even better. That’s what you can expect with Katabatic Charters out of Picton.

Marlborough Sounds is a collection of ancient sunken river valleys filled with the waters of the Pacific.

Specialising in cruising, sightseeing and fishing, charters see you join skipper and chef Grant Orchard to reel in some perch, enjoy some abalone or fetch a few mussels (it’s up to you) and then enjoy the freshest meal you’ve ever eaten.

Personalisation is a key part of the experience, as the small vessel means you can cruise the Sounds and pull in or cast your line whenever opportunity calls. Expect plenty of banter too.

From $1650 for up to eight guests from Katabatic Charters.

Looking for something this side of the ditch? Here are 14 unforgettable Australian dining experiences.