These New Zealand dining experiences are worth travelling for

Aotearoa-New Zealand is regularly held as the gold standard for wild, untamed beauty. Craggy peaks falling to misty rainforest, snaking rivers and golden grassland; sapphire waters teeming with diverse marine life. As you’d expect, it’s an agricultural powerhouse too.

On top of producing crisp whites and bold reds across the wine regions, Kiwis have a global rep for incredible seafood and succulent game meats, for fragrant truffles and bitey, artisanal cheeses. Plus they know exactly what to do with it.

'Mapu' in Lyttelton invites six diners at a time to explore its incredible seasonally-sourced produce.

Rather than merely listing the top restaurants in the big cities though, we’re turning our gaze to dining experiences found where you least expect – the ones you’d travel by any means just to reach.

Naturally, there are some phenomenal options. Here are eight of the best. 

Savour flavours cooked over geothermal vents

There are countless ways to cook: over coals, on the stove, in the oven, in tagines… but chances are you’ve never had a meal cooked over steaming geothermal vents. Pataka Kai Restaurant in Rotorua does just this.

The restaurant overlooks Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley.
Te Puia

Putting a unique twist on Maori cuisine, chefs use vents in the Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley to steam puddings, which are then finished off with burnt sugar and served as part of a bountiful buffet featuring seafood, manuka smoked ham and hangi chicken.

A dining experience like no other.
Te Puia

Guided tours by torchlight take you beyond the dining room to experience the bubbling cooking pool up close, while also giving you a chance to hear stories of Maori myths passed down through generations.

From $54 per adult at Pataka Kai Restaurant.

Dine at the Lyttelton ‘test kitchen’ with no menu

Scanning the menu before committing to a restaurant is pretty standard. However, that’s not possible at Mapu in Lyttelton – there’s no menu. In fact, chef Giulio Sturla doesn't even call it a restaurant. It’s a test kitchen, and welcomes just six guests at a time.

Sturla's cooking style allows the natural flavours of ingredients to shine.
R+A Creative

Prepared in front of you with diners seated around the kitchen (meaning plenty of opportunity to chat with the chef about inspiration and the source of the seasonal dishes), the five-course degustation is determined by whatever nature offers on the day.

Mapu is a perfect blend of theatre and food.
R+A Creative

Tickets to the dining experience are released monthly, so it pays to plan your trip well in advance (and be a little flexible) if you’re hoping to add this onto your hit list.

From $210 per person at Mapu.

Go back to basics at this Canterbury cooking school

Tapping into the rich culinary story of Kaikoura, around 2.5 hours drive from Christchurch in beautiful Canterbury, Hapuku Kitchen is one for foodies who want to reconnect their cooking with the land and sea, and learn some new skills in the process.

Classes are small and hands-on, allowing personalised guidance.

Catering to cooks of all levels, the half-full day experiences see participants help harvest, forage and collect ingredients, before learning to prepare them using traditional cooking methods.

Naturally, there will be lots (and lots) of eating too, so maybe skip that long lunch beforehand. 

Supper Club is a unique dining experience in the home of Hapuku owners Chris and Fiona.

Whether you choose the farm-to-table group class or a private cooking lesson, or simply stop by for a seasonal feast in its home-style Supper Club, you’re guaranteed to leave with a full belly and deeper understanding of the produce on your plate.

From $295 per person at Hapuku Kitchen.

Explore Maori culture on a progressive food safari

Progressive meals are always a fun option when you have limited time in a city. Amiki Tours in Christchurch offers exactly this, with its three hour food safari revelling in some of the city’s hottest drinking and dining venues… but there’s a twist.

The progressive tour takes you outside restaurants to experience the surrounds between courses.
Miles Holden

Rather than simply ferrying you from one restaurant to another, the Maori-led tour is designed to give you a deeper appreciation for the area’s culture between courses – the history, the stories and the local identities making their modern stamp on Christchurch.

Amiki Tours showcases the best of the city's emerging foodie scene.
Miles Holden

Designed for groups of 2-12, it’s an experience worth relishing. You can also upgrade to enjoy premium pairings which might include limited-release wines, botanicals distilled in the region, or specially crafted cocktails.

From $225 per person from Amiki Cultural Food Tours.

A bucket list 3 Hat experience amid the vines of Otago

Central Otago region is renowned for its dramatic scenery and incredible skiing, not to mention its veritable Eden of award-winning wineries. And what pairs perfectly with great wine? Fabulous food, of course – and Amisfield delivers both.

Whether indoors, outside or in the conservatory, this is a dining experience you won't want to miss.

Set within an enchanting stone building, the bucket list Three Hat restaurant plates up a degustation hailed as ‘an exploration of the season’s best produce’, with the 11 to 16 dishes complemented by wines from the Amisfield estate’s own organic vineyard.

The menu is a journey through the seasons.

Open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday or dinner from Thursday to Saturday, Amisfield is just 25 minutes outside of Queenstown, making it a fantastic choice for après-ski in winter months.

From $180 per person at Amisfield.

Catch and cook in the Marlborough Sounds

Biting into succulent seafood is always a good idea. However, having the chance to first catch said seafood before seeing it turned into a mouth-watering meal before your eyes is even better. That’s what you can expect with Katabatic Charters out of Picton.

Marlborough Sounds is a collection of ancient sunken river valleys filled with the waters of the Pacific.

Specialising in cruising, sightseeing and fishing, charters see you join skipper and chef Grant Orchard to reel in some perch, enjoy some abalone or fetch a few mussels (it’s up to you) and then enjoy the freshest meal you’ve ever eaten.

Personalisation is a key part of the experience, as the small vessel means you can cruise the Sounds and pull in or cast your line whenever opportunity calls. Expect plenty of banter too.

From $1650.00 for up to eight guests from Katabatic Charters.

Soar to the most inaccessible (yet beautiful) dining spots

What’s better than enjoying a bountiful picnic overflowing with Champagne, fruits and delicious cheeses? One that starts with a helicopter flight over the jaw-dropping landscape of Queenstown and Central Otago, before ferrying to your picnic perch of choice.

Bespoke experiences are also available.

That’s the gist of Over the Top’s Grape From Above package, yet it’s not the only one worth climbing aboard its Airbus Squirrel for. Others include Milford Ultimate, a 4-hour odyssey taking in alpine lakes, glaciers and beaches, with plenty of picnicking too.

OTT's Milford Ultimate experience includes four remote landings.

There’s also a Wine by Invitation package allowing you to join ‘drop in’ and collect the patriarch of Otago Pinot Noir from his vineyard, and then take a behind the scenes look into the wine heritage of the region. Bespoke adventures are also available.

From $4,990 up to 5-6 passengers with Over the Top.

Turn foraged ingredients into a five star feast

‘Haere mai taua te hikoi i te ngahere’. This Maori phrase, meaning ‘come walk with me in the forest’, sets the tone for what awaits when you sign up for one of the three wild food cooking experiences at Rotorua’s Treetops Lodge.

An aerial view of Treetops' main lodge.

Taking advantage of its setting amid 2,500 acres of native forest, Wild Food Cooking School is a meeting of culture, cuisine and place. The food is sensational too. 

After foraging for ingredients, participants gather round the kitchen table to learn how to make each element sing – on the plate and the palate.

Classes provide a deeper appreciation for New Zealand's native ingredients.

Adding to the experience is a Maori Food Trail, allowing visitors to get to know native plants and herbs, as well as their uses and close cultural ties, plus an Estate to Plate Safari which includes a drive seeking out game animals in the wild.

Available exclusively to guests at Treetops Lodge.

Looking for something this side of the ditch? Here are 12 unforgettable Australian dining experiences.