Cray-zy days

Tips on top tucker and quiet, unsung destinations for your summer tiki tour

It might look like a trendy food truck, but Nin’s Bin is an institution. Sitting on the roadside 20 minutes’ north of Kaiko¯ura, right by the sea, the team’s been catching, cooking and selling fresh crayfish here since 1977.

Owned by the same family, now in its third generation, not much has changed – apart from the prices, obviously.

The crayfish are cooked just across the road and, while you can still revel in the delicious glory of crayfish pure and simply, there are fancier versions available now, incorporating garlic butter, white wine or lemon.

It’s all the real thing, though, and it has taken the shortest route possible from the sea to your mouth, which should be watering now just reading about it.

Why go?

Because it’s hard to beat sitting at a wooden table right on the rocky seashore and getting messy extracting every shred of that delicately-flavoured, tender meat from the orange shell, as seagulls watch your every move.

The sight and smell of the sea, the sun on your skin and the sound of the waves, plus the taste of the crayfish, create sensory perfection.

Insider tip

The business is grateful for good public support, so be aware that when it sells out, that’s it, the flaps are closed. If the weather’s been bad, they won’t have been fishing, and the van will be shut.

In season, you can also buy whitebait fritters, plus they also serve pa¯ua and beer-battered fish and chips. If you buy a cray to take away, they’ll tuck in a lemon as they wrap it up for you.

On the way/nearby

It’s handy to know that there’s a public toilet just across the road. A bit further up the road is hau Point, where you can stop to look down on a busy fur seal colony. Since the earthquake, the seal cub creche isn’t accessible, but watch them hanging out on the rocks below the observation area, along with their mothers and the bulls.

It’s very cute to see them learning to swim in the pools and galumphing over the rocks. If you time your visit for near high tide, they’ll be in very close. Big schools of energetic dolphins are a frequent sight along this coast.

How much?

Crayfish is never cheap, that’s why it’s such a treat, but at least here you’re not paying much for overheads. A tail with garlic butter is $50, whole ¯crayfishO are priced by weight, but are from about $60 each. Nin’s Bin is currently open daily, 9am until 5pm.

Best time to go

It’s hard to beat a sunny summer’s day. facebook.com/ninsbin