Monica Shaw on Wikipedia© Monica Shaw on Wikipedia
Monica Shaw on Wikipedia

17 Best New Zealand Foods

© Monica Shaw on Wikipedia

Food, Glorious Food!

Nothing beats a cultural experience than tasting the local cuisine. For New Zealand, the cuisine involves pies, drinks and spreads… But, let’s be honest, New Zealand’s foods mostly consist of candy, biscuits and desserts. Yum! Either way, we’ve compiled this list of common New Zealand foods and food you will often find in New Zealand.

New Zealand food is heavily influenced by British, Australian and Polynesian cuisine, but there are some homegrown New Zealand foods you will have to try!

To wash down all this food, take a look at 11 Drinks You Have to Try in New Zealand. Plus, if you’re planning a trip to New Zealand, be sure to bookmark The Best Travel Guide to New Zealand for even more tips.

1. L&P

Lemon & Paeroa, or L&P, is a soft drink invented in Paeroa. It is now owned by the Coca-Cola Company and is as common to find in New Zealand as any soft drink.

NZPocketGuide.com© NZPocketGuide.com

2. Georgie Pie

A fast-food chain hoping to be and New Zealand homegrown alternative to international fast-food chains. Funny enough, they have now been bought by McDonald’s.

Tom Webb at English Wikipedia© Tom Webb at English Wikipedia

3. Whittaker’s Chocolate

Dreamy chocolate in a variety of flavours! Whittaker’s Chocolate is available in all supermarkets and convenience stores across New Zealand.

 Irwandy Mazwir on Flickr© Irwandy Mazwir on Flickr

4. Hokey Pokey Ice Cream

Honeycomb ice cream with a different name. It’s not like it’s a New Zealand invention, but the name sure is. A true New Zealand Kiwiana!

Kristen Taylor on Flickr© Kristen Taylor on Flickr

5. Wattie’s Ketchup

Mix homegrown Wattie’s and the much-loved tomato sauce and you have Wattie’s tomato sauce! Fun fact: tomato sauce is commonly found in cans in New Zealand.

 theimpulsivebuy on Flickr© theimpulsivebuy on Flickr

6. Pavlova

Meringue, fruit and creamy goodness. Australians will claim it as an Oz creation, however, Kiwis hold dear to their national dessert.

Pixabay© Pixabay

7. Hangi

A traditional Maori cooking method of using an underground oven. A Hangi usually uses food like meat and vegetables. You can experience this dinner for yourself at some of the 10 Places to Experience Maori Culture in New Zealand.

© NZPocketGuide.com

8. Paua

Paua is a shell used on jewellery and souvenirs in New Zealand, as well as being the dish Paua fritters.

 Erected_Exposures on Flickr© Erected_Exposures on Flickr

9. Jaffas

Orange chocolate balls. They are exploited to race in Dunedin at the Cadbury Chocolate Festival.

Andynahman on Flickr© Andynahman on Flickr

10. Pineapple Lumps

Chocolate coated pineapple sweets, Pineapple Lumps are another New Zealand candy favourite.

Nick White© Nick White

11. Chocolate Fish

Chocolate covered marshmallow shaped like fish is a small but simple snack in New Zealand.

DO'Neil on en.wikipedia© DO'Neil on en.wikipedia

12. Lamingtons

Sponge cake with a jelly and coconut shavings coating. Lamingtons are from Australia but they are as common as any cake here in New Zealand.

Spacekadet at English Wikipedia© Spacekadet at English Wikipedia

13. Afghan Biscuits

Chocolate biscuits topped with a walnut. It’s a classic New Zealand biscuit!

17 Awesome New Zealand Foods© Monica Shaw on Wikipedia

14. Anzac Biscuits

More biscuits! An oat and coconut delight! ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Learn more in What is Anzac Day?

pfctdayelise on Wikipedia© pfctdayelise on Wikipedia

15. Coffee

Definitely not from New Zealand, but coffee is part of New Zealand’s comfort coffee culture. Coffee is taken very seriously in New Zealand so be sure to try it in the cafes as you travel around.

 Russell James Smith on Flickr© Russell James Smith on Flickr

16. Kiwifruit

Not unique to New Zealand, but they grow the delicious juicy fruits here. FYI, don’t just call these fruits “kiwi” as New Zealanders will think you are either talking about the bird or them.

Pixnio© Pixnio

17. Marmite

Marmite is not an exclusive New Zealand food but is something to respond to Australia’s vegemite! Sanitarium Marmite is the New Zealand brand of marmite. You’ll either love it or hate it. Plus, it’s even said to help stop sandflies bites.

TheJackal on Wikipedia© TheJackal on Wikipedia

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About The Author

Robin C.

This article has been reviewed and approved by Robin, who is the co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. With more than 15 years of experience in the New Zealand tourism industry, Robin has co-founded three influential tourism businesses and five additional travel guides for South Pacific nations. He is an expert in New Zealand travel and has tested over 600 activities and 300+ accommodations across the country.

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