North Island NZ food options for kids question
 

Hello - my father and his wife have left the US and became NZ citizens and we have been looking at traveling to visit them between Dec/Jan. Our only concern is that we have a 6 year old son who has an eating issue due to sensory needs and will only eat certain kinds of foods. I have not been able to find a whole lot of information about what kinds of foods are available. we will be traveling to the Nelson area for 2 weeks and then Dunedin...does anyone have any information about whether these kinds of foods are even an option in NZ......pizza, sliced cheddar cheese, spaghetti, hot dogs, waffles...normal food that you would expect a kid to eat...but that is pretty much close to our son's diet due to the sensory issues. Anyone pass on any info if there is any chance at all we would run across any of these kinds of foods in a local grocery market??? Thanks!

You should have no issues finding those types of food in NZ grocery stores.

Crumpets make a nice substitute for waffles!

I'm not sure about the availability of the American style hot dog but if worse comes to worse you will be able to stuff him with sliced cheddar cheese. There will be no shortage of cheese, and pizza is pretty widespread.

You might find spaghetti sauces a bit sweeter than in the US but I'm guessing children don't mind that.

I'm an American living in NZ. You definitely will not find American-style hot dogs in NZ. If something is advertised as a hot dog, beware. It's 99% likely to be a nasty mutton sausage! Cheese slices will be no problem, and neither will pizza - they've got Dominoes, Pizza Hut, etc here. However, the pizza does taste different. We've found the closest to the American style pizza is ham & pineapple. Waffles may be difficult but check the frozen section of the grocery store. They do sell little pancakes in the bread section - they are quite good. Does he eat Pop Tarts? They've got those down here as well.

Oh, I forgot to say, does he eat mac & cheese? If so, you can buy Kraft Mac & Cheese microwaveable in the grocery stores. It tastes very similar to home.

Thanks guys SO Much for the replies. We have been a wee bit panicked about the trip because he is SO excited about it and we will be there for 3 weeks....with sensory issues, it sure makes life a little more interesting with traveling!! A friend had suggested about sending a dry ice package ahead of us with some basics like hotdogs and sandwich meat but i have an idea that would not be a feasible thing to mail through customs!

Any clue on ketchup being an item over there? Thanks again so much for the help!

Hi Belle,
You're right - the customs folk would understandably have a melt down if you attempted to take those things into NZ.

I don't know about ketchup, but think you'd find tomato sauce pretty close. (sweetish, slightly salty tomato sauce stuff kids seem to like to slather over perfectly good food (LOL))

It must be a challenge travelling with someone with any type of food allergies etc., Could you explain what sensory issues entail, please? Might help us suggest other things which may be appealing and suitable for your son.

You will not be able to bring any dairy, meat or fresh produce into NZ. I don't know how important it would be that the ketchup is exactly the same (I don't eat the stuff myself) but I think you might be able to bring that in, since it's processed. Just declare it.

Sensory Processing Disorder is a disorder that involves a person's sensory system....basically my son's senses are 10x more sensitive than a normal person's system. So sounds, tastes, textures, smells are 10x stronger than what you or I would experience....he can get overwhelmed easily if he was to walk into a very crowded, loud room because to him it would be deafening. He can tell differences between brands of food even though they might be the same kind of food. he has come a long ways and through therapy we have really worked through many areas. He LOVES to travel all over the US and rarely has any issues we just know how to help see what triggers him to become overwhelmed and he has learned techniques to help him cope. The food is the trickiest. If I know that in some way shape or form he can get pizza, a turkey/ham sandwich on white bread with mayo, mac and cheese, sliced cheddar cheese, and some kind of yogurt then we will be okay :-) I would think that checking luggage onto the plane with stuff like goldfish crackers, his gummy snacks, and possibly a plastic sealed container of ketchup I would just need to declare it in customs upon entering New Zealand? Thanks again guys - we really want to try to make this trip happen for him because he is so excited about it!

As said in an earlier post, pizza is no problem, neither is ham sandwich on white bread, there are many different varieties and brands of yoghurt available, I don't think you will have a problem with the food. Enjoy your trip.

Belle16 -

I used take a small bottle of Heinz ketchup with me on my trips to NZ because I don't care for the NZ version of ketchup and because chips (french fries) seem to be a NZ staple. On my last few trips to NZ however, I had no trouble finding Heinz, so if that happens to be your son's label, you're in luck.

No shortage of cheese in NZ and if your son likes bland food and white bread sandwiches, well, he'll be in hog heaven (apologies to my Kiwi friends).

So ketchup on chips is an American invention, Mel? No offence, but I've been wondering how younger Australians acquired such a dreadful habit. In the name of all that's decent, all that should be put on chips is salt and vinegar!

I've even seen chips with gravy. In God's name, where will this end?

There are worse things done with chips, Neil. In southern California there is a small cohort that dips them in a strawberry milkshake. I've been told it started at Bob's Big Boy (name of a local burger chain).

And no, I have not tried it. I like mine just with salt.

Neil -

I've no idea who came up with ketchup on chips, but count me in as a fan (I'm a Heinz snob though).

I rarely eat chips, but when I do, I have to accompany them with ketchup. I'd rather go without than eat them naked.

It's better than the Belgian version though, with MAYO. Ick.

I seem to recall seeing chips in NZ served with sour cream.

One can also find chips in the US covered with stuff like chili, cheese and sour cream - nothing like adding insult to injury.

>>There are worse things done with chips, Neil. In southern California there is a small cohort that dips them in a strawberry milkshake. I've been told it started at Bob's Big Boy (name of a local burger chain).<<

A chocolate shake is better. :-)

And some days, early in the baseball season when it's chilly and windy, a bowl of chile cheese fries hits the spot!

But if I'm in New Zealand, it's definitely salt and vinegar on my chips.

Lee Ann

Yes, we do have Heinz here, so that won't be a problem. I would definitely load up on snacks like Goldfish and other things that you know he likes. Yes, you will need to declare it, but since it will be sealed and it won't be dairy, meat or plant material, they won't mind at all.

Does he eat fast food? There's major US fast food chains here in the big cities (Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin) and perhaps in some of the smaller towns.

Please make sure to post and tell us how it goes!