Brenda_md

My husband and I will be leaving on March 2 for New Zealand. I was wondering if I could get some recommendations for restaurants.We enjoy all foods/ethnicity (actually foodies) and the dining experience, so would appreciate advice.We have no problem with eating at an occasional high end restaurant if it warrants the price; however, we would love to know about places where the locals eat vice the tourist traps or a specialty of that area that one would not want to miss.The areas/towns we will be staying in are Taupo, Rotorua, Lake Tekapo, Aoraki/Mt. Cook, Wanaka, and Queenstown.I think for the Aoraki/Mt. Cook location we are somewhat a captive audience with respect to dining options! Thanks

Melnq8

In Aoraki/Mt Cook, you will not only be captive, you will find there just isn't much on offer, and what is, is rather expensive and low quality IME. Which is why we tend to self-cater while there. There isn't a grocery store either, so if you self-cater, you'll want to stock up in Twizel, (the logical food shopping stop between Tekapo and Mt Cook). You might also want to stop at the salmon farm on the drive into Mt Cook and pick up some salmon for one of your meals.

The bar in the Hermitage Hotel is an excellent place for a drink - wonderful views on a clear day. It's been years since I had the food at the Hermitage, I hope it has changed for the better since then.

In this fast moving world of opening and closing restaurants, my info is a bit dated (we're going back in April!). Diamantina will probably chime in with more relevant information, but until then...

Food options in Tekapo are rather limited too, but you'll have plenty of good options in Wanaka and Queenstown.

As foodies, you might be interested in the Chop Shop and Saffron in Arrowtown (between QT and Wanaka). When we last visited, they were both highly rated and upscale - we didn't eat at either as one of us doesn't eat meat or fish and they seemed to specialize in both.

In the Wanaka/Arrowntown/QT areas we like these places:

Patagonia Chocolates (Ardmore Street, Wanaka) - for ice cream and sorbet (also one in Arrowtown)

Mt Difficulty Winery (Bannockburn) – they've recently changed hands, hopefully still good, be sure to book, lunch only

The Spice Room (Helwick Street, Wanaka) – Indian food, also one in Queenstown

Ritual Espresso Café (Helwick Street, Wanaka) – our go to place for flat whites

Lot 3 (Dunmore Street, Wanaka) – fun and funky café/art gallery, casual lunch place

Mantra (Arrowtown) – excellent Indian food

Amisfield Winery (Lake Hayes) – upscale and very popular, be sure to book. Fabulous Pinot Noir - tasting fee absorbed if you stay on for lunch.

Fergburger – a Queenstown institution with lines out the door

Bon Jour (Arrowtown) – If you’re looking for massive cups of caffeine this is your place, they sell a bowl made with six shots!

Postmasters Residence (Arrowtown) – in a century old building on the main street, nice place for lunch

Millbrook Hole-in-One (Arrowtown, Millbrook Resort) - nice spot for alfresco lunch

Walnut Cottage (Arrowtown) – good spot for coffee

Waiteri Creek – nice atmosphere in a converted church, casual meals, wine

I'm doing a bit of food research for our upcoming trip as well, and have these places on my list, which may or may not help you:

Wild Earth Winery and Restaurant - https://www.wildearthwines.co.nz/ near Bannockburn

Carrick Winery, near Bannockburn - https://www.carrick.co.nz/restaurant/

Francesca’s Italian Kitchen – Ardmore Street (QT), lunch and dinner, dinner reservations essential

The Big Fig, Ardmore Street (QT)

Enjoy New Zealand, we sure do.

Brenda_md

Melnq8, thanks for the many suggestions. I will check them out for current relevancy. Appreciate the heads up to shop in Twizel before arriving at Mt. Cook. We love Indian food, glad you included it. BTW, if you have a favorite or two that are vegetarian, please share. About 60-70% of our diet is now plant based after a dietary change we made last year. I have problems with eating some meals as such so as not to come home with excess poundage!!!

Brenda_md

Ooops, that last sentence should have read "I have no problems with eating some meals......"

Craig

I second Amisfield Winery. We took a taxi there for dinner from Queenstown. A multi-course culinary experience with imaginative presentations and great wine accompaniments, if you so choose. By far the best meal we had in NZ. You will find veggie options at most places but meat seems to be a feature everywhere. Most of the places are tourist traps as that is who they cater to. In Queenstown we enjoyed Blue Kanu (do the duck) and Vknow (slightly outside of town). In Mt. Cook there were literally no options, but we survived 2 nights at Old Mountaineers Cafe. In Wanaka we ate at Kika and Relishes (sister restaurant of the Big Fig) - both were pretty good, but our servers were absolutely clueless about the food and the wines.

We just returned. I'll post a trip report shortly...

Craig

Brenda, In the new format, you can actually edit your original thread rather than adding a post

Diamantina

Melnq8 has listed some of the places I would have suggested and then some. I'd put an asterisk next to Mt. Difficulty, Amisfield, and her Indian choices (because she's an Indian food connoisseur). Craig mentioned one of my Queenstown favorites, Vnow, which, not only has good food, but has a great neighborhood/local restaurant feel (though there are plenty of tourists). if you go to Vnow, book ahead because it's a small place and you'll be here at a busy time. If you'd like a vegetarian dinner at Amisfield, let then know when you book.
For Tekapo, I've only eaten at the Japanese restaurant Kohan and the food was good given the limited choices here and the remoteness of the location. You can't compare it to Japanese restaurants in Japan, or probably not even the best Japanese restaurants near your home, or even to my favorite sushi bar at SFO, as Kohan is limited by a lack of availability of ingredients. The menu is strongly weighted toward local salmon, as there are several salmon farms nearby. So I'd stick with salmon (that is, if you still eat fish), something simple and light like teriyaki salmon, with miso soup, edamame, tempura vegetables. I'd keep it simple. It is a busy place, so book ahead for dinner. Go early before the wait staff gets too busy. It'll also be nice to be there while the colors of the sky change during sunset, however, it's just as easy to walk down to the lake for these views. The lake is also beautiful at sunrise. I hope you get clear weather.
Lake Tekapo Sunrise & Sunset Times in March - Finding Film Locations - Filming on Location Pre-production Guide
Tekapo at sunset:
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=su...w=1745&bih=885

Diamantina

Even if you don't plan on having lunch at Wild Earth Winery and Restaurant in Kawarau Gorge, stop and have a look at its scenic, historic setting.(that is, if your route takes you past here). About Mt. Difficulty, it's got a magnificent view, great wine and good food, but it'll be more than a 50 minute drive from central Queenstown. Currently, there are road works in Kawarau Gorge that might cause delays. There were so many complaints about recent horrendous traffic delays along here, they'll hopefully shift their work to night hours, which will cause less disruption to traffic. You can check road works and delays along your route here:
Regions

If you make it to Mt. Difficulty and don't face ridiculous delays, you'll enjoy this beautiful drive, as there are many places to stop, snap photos, taste and sip along the way.

Where are you staying in Aoraki Mt. Cook?

Brenda_md

Craig and Diamantina, thanks for the suggestions and affirmation of Amisfield (as well as other mentioned restaurants) since we planned to enjoy a winery or two around Queenstown. Also appreciate the references for Lake Tekapo because photography is a hobby of mine.

Craig, glad you mentioned duck as this is a favorite of ours and thanks for the editing tip.

Brenda_md

Diamantia, our postings must have crossed and I didn't see your question about our lodging in Aoraki/Mt. Cook; we are staying at the Hermitage in the Mt. Cook Alpine Village.

Nntexas

Just checked in and see some good new posts here. Thx diamantina, Melnq8, and Craig. We are booked at Amisfield and looking forward to it. Interested to hear that a cab is an option--we might pursue that so drinking is no issue Also noting the additional suggestions in QT--we have some reservations there but deliberately keeping a few nights free for now. We are starting to get excited as our departure is next Friday!

Brenda_md

Hey Nntexas, we have the same departure date. Possibly we will cross paths somewhere along the line; it is amazing how often we have come across a "local" in our travels abroad!!

Melnq8

NnTexas and Brenda - wishing you and yours a very good trip. We're just a few months behind you!

Diamantina

Thanks, Brenda, I was curious about where you were staying because one of the accommodations there, Aoraki Court Motel, asks that guests not cook "strong smelling food" such as fish, curries, etc. and will charge extra for lingering odors. You mentioned buying groceries in Twizel so I thought I should warn you because you might be tempted to buy salmon from High Country Salmon in Twizel. But unless you are staying in chalet accommodation at The Hermitage, you probably won't be cooking. The last time we were in Aoraki Mt. Cook, about two years ago, we stayed at Aoraki Court Motel, but had dinner at The Hermitage. I think it must have been their Panorama Room restaurant, with the a la carte menu and spectacular views. The food tasted fine, nothing special, small portions, high prices, but they had nice wines by the glass. Things might have changed since then.

I love Aoraki Mt. Cook. Have a wonderful time.

Nntexas

yes amazing! We fly from Houston to Auckland, spending about 5 days in N Island and will be in Taupo as well as Auckland and Napier. We'll be in South island for most of the rest of the trip--2 weeks--in Queenstown third week of March.
I will be looking for a Brenda while we travel

Nntexas

Oh, Melnq8, meant to say that I'll post trip report with meal notes. I've gotten good advice from lots of Fodorites, including you and Diamantina, among others. Thanks!

georgefowell

I visited following listed restaurant frequently so I guess you should also try this

1. Lone Star
2. Cobb & Co New Plymouth
3. Social Kitchen
4. Roots Restaurant
5. Dutch Delight
6. Depot