DIARY DATES
NOVEMBER
1-4 / TASTE OF AUCKLAND The 10th anniversary of this festival, now at a new venue on Queens Wharf. Embracing all that is great about the Auckland food scene, celeb chefs this year include Sid Sahrawat (Cassia), Nobu Lee (Clooney), Kyle Street and Jordan Macdonald (Culprit and Lowbrow) and Ben Bayly and Juan Balsani (Baduzzi). / tasteofauckland.co.nz /
2-11 / SUMMER F.A.W.C.
Now in its 7th year, Hawke’s Bay hosts this 10-day culinary festival, with more than 60 events planned to celebrate the region’s best produce, foodie experiences, and not forgetting top-class wine, beer and cider. / fawc.co.nz /
3 / THE NEW ZEALAND CIDER FESTIVAL A festival to celebrate all things cider in the historic Founder’s Heritage Park, Nelson. Music and artisan fare to sample, too. / nzciderfestival.com / 3 / HOBBITON BEER FESTIVAL Combining an evening tour of the movie set with handcrafted traditional ales. Hobbit -sized canapes are promised, as well. / hobbitontours.com /
6 / FASHION ON FEDERAL Skycity and Trelise Cooper host New Zealand’s longest runway show for the Melbourne Cup, looping through The Grill by Sean Connolly, Gusto at the Grand, Huami, MASU by Nic Watt and The Sugar Club.
/ fedst.co.nz /
10 / DUNEDIN CRAFT BEER & FOOD FESTIVAL Get along to the Forsyth Barr Stadium for craft beverages, truly outstanding kai and warm and welcoming southern hospitality. Kiwi icons Bic Runga and Elemeno P are among those providing the beats. / dunedinbeerfest.co.nz /
10 / HAWKE’S BAY WINE AUCTION Hawke’s Bay’s most talented winemakers provide over 40 lots of wine, many of which are being specially blended. With proceeds going to charity, it’s your opportunity to do good and walk away with some of Hawke’s Bay’s finest wines.
/ hawkesbaywineauction.co.nz /
11 / BUDBURST NATURAL WINE FESTIVAL Wellington’s waterfront welcomes NZ’S first and only natural wine festival. As well as a host of NZ’S finest natural wineries there’ll be a pop-up bar, seminars, live music and food from Egmont St Eatery. / budburst.nz /
18 / TOAST MARTINBOROUGH The Wairarapa’s favourite vineyard-crawl event returns. Oodles of big-name chefs and too many wineries to mention make this a great day out. All participating vineyards are within an easy stroll of each other, or hop on one of the free buses – couldn’t be easier. / toastmartinborough.co.nz /
24 / OCEAN VINE HOP
Who can resisit a combination of seafood, wine and beer, music and dancing in beautiful Marlborough. Get your summer started with tastings and demonstrations from celebrity chefs, including Jax Hamilton. / oceanvinehop.co.nz /
DECEMBER
1 / BEERS AT THE BASIN What better way to spend a Saturday than sitting on the grass embankment at the Basin Reserve, having a refreshing beverage listening to some fine tunes, all while basking in the sun. Enjoy some of the capital’s best local craft breweries, wineries, street food and music. / beersatthebasin.co.nz / 1 / SOUTH ISLAND WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL Christchurch’s Hagley Park will put on a great welcome for 40 wineries from Marlborough, Canterbury and Central Otago for tastings, wine seminars, workshops, live cooking demos and music. / winefestival.co.nz /
1 / KAPITI FOOD FAIR Enjoy a day out sampling the region’s best food and drink at Paraparaumu’s Mazengarb Reserve. The event kicks off with Masterchef winner Brett Mcgregor holding a masterclass on 30 Nov at Whitireia Kapiti Campus. / kapitifoodfair.net / 8 / WAIMATE STRAWBERRY FARE Even after more than 30 years the much-loved Strawberry Fare continues with berries, ice cream and even a visit from Santa. / waimatestrawberryfare.co.nz /
JANUARY
5 / TAIRUA WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL It’s the 25th anniversary for this local event that has a big focus on celebrating all the great things local to the Coromandel. A full day of music, food, wines and beers, kids entertainment and great New Zealand produce.
/ tairuawineandfood.co.nz /