10 foods you have to try in New Zealand

One of my favorite parts about traveling to a new country is trying all the different types of food they have. I always try my hardest not to order something I can get at home.

When I lived in New Zealand I had the chance to try so many different and exciting foods  and wanted to share with you the top 10 I believe you can’t leave the country without trying.

As the world’s largest exporter of dairy, the country has some of the freshest, high quality milk, cheese and my favorite… ice cream.

They also have a bounty of some of the yummiest fruit and fresh produce.

On your visit, make sure you try some of the foods on this list!!

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream

We might as well start with ice cream right?! Unlike the USA with vanilla leading the polls, Hokey Pokey is actually New Zealand’s #1 ice cream flavor! It’s a creamy vanilla base with bits of honeycomb mixed in. SO GOOD.

Ice Cream

I know we started out with a specific flavor, but just try some ice cream in general! Any kind you get is going to blow your mind. If you get a chance, you have to try Kohu Road ice cream. The dark chocolate is my favorite, but you really can’t go wrong. I’ve never had ice cream this good.

Giapo Haute

Let’s stay on the ice cream wagon for just a second longer and talk about Giapo Haute. I’m making an exception and adding this to the list because although it’s not a food, (it’s a gelato shop) it deserves to be on this list because of how good it is.

There is only one shop in the world and it’s located in Auckland. Don’t be intimated by the line, your taste buds will thank you after. When you walk into the shop, don’t expect to be able to peer through the glass case to choose your flavor.

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It’s all covered up because they don’t want you to decide your flavor based on the way it looks, but rather how it tastes. (Don’t worry they give you plenty of samples) The food artists that work there make each ice cream creation different, so no one’s cone or sundae will ever look the same.

Its such a fun experience and totally worth the wait and price. (P.S. sometimes if the line is long they will pass out drinking chocolate, which tastes like your drinking straight from a chocolate river. It’s insane.)

Lamb

There are 11 sheep per person in New Zealand so there is plenty to go around!! Haha in all seriousness though, lamb is a classic New Zealand dish and you can’t leave with out trying at least a bite.

Halloumi Cheese

I’m pretty sure they have this type of cheese in other countries, but I had never had it until I got to NZ and it was to die for. I had it grilled on a salad and it was so tasty. Don’t be alarmed when you take a bite though, this is a squeaky cheese!

Whittaker’s Chocolate

New Zealand’s Hershey Bar. But 3 times thicker, longer and richer. There are a million flavors to choose from so good luck!!

Meat Pie

A kiwi and aussie classic. Minced meat in a warm, fluffy pastry. It’s like your own mini chicken potpie, but without the chicken.

A Slice

Think of a brownie, or blondie or any kind of bar. Their bars are called a slice and some popular ones are ginger slices, and millionaire slices. Go get your homeslice a slice.

Yo Yo

This might have been one of my favorite treats. Soft lemon cream filling sandwiched between 2 fluffy shortbread cookies. YUM with a capital Y.

Tim Tams

Okay I lied. Tim Tams might be my favorite. I rejoiced ever so loudly when the news broke that they are now sold in the US, but this cookie is originally from Australia and is all over New Zealand. You can choose from Milk, Dark, White, Red Velvet, Peanut Butter, Caramel, the list goes on and on, but don’t leave without doing a Tim Tam Slam: Bite the opposite corners of the Tim Tam and place it in chocolate milk or hot chocolate. Use it like a straw and then smash it into your mouth as fast as you can before it crumbles!!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your trip to my favorite place in the world. Subscribe to this blog for more travel tips, pictures and itineraries and check out the other articles I wrote about New Zealand so you can know all the things before you go.

Xx Nicole #DoStuff