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When it comes to local food experiences, there’s plenty on offer. Here are five you might like to try:
1 AT THE WILD FOOD COOKING SCHOOL IN ROTORUA, you can join a 4-wheel drive excursion into the forest to forage for native ingredients. Then head to Treetops Lodge for a cooking demonstration by a Māori chef using what you harvested, share the meal with fellow foragers and retire to your luxury accommodation for a great night’s snooze. Ah. Treetops.co.nz
2 AT THE AKAROA COOKING SCHOOL, you’ll learn to source ingredients, plan your menu and prep your dinner party to make you the host with the most. Or you can polish your barbecuing skills, learn to combine Asian flavours, become a whizz at using seasonal produce or bust out a batch of mouth-watering home baking. That’s just for starters. akaroacooking.co.nz
3 THERE ARE MORE WINE AND FOOD OFFERINGS THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A BOTTLE OF PINOT AT. And much as we’d love to try them all so we can share our top picks, sadly that’s not practical. However, there is the DIY option… Head to kiwitravelnz. com/activities/food-and-wine/ for a downloadable itinerary so you can plan your own trip through three of NZ’S major wine regions. They offer packages too.
4 AT RED BALLOON, you can saddle up for a horse ride along the ivory sands of Pakiri beach north of Auckland, then head for a wine tasting and lunch at a local winery. Redballoon.co.nz
5 FORK AND PEDAL TOURS QUEENSTOWN offers you the chance to explore the region by bike while sampling food, wine and craft beer along the way. There’s also a self-guided option. Forkandpedal.co.nz