The Complete Food Guide to Tauranga
New Zealand wines, local craft beers, ciders, artisan cheeses, salamis, kiwifruit and more, Tauranga is a real foodie hub of the Bay of Plenty. There’s so much to taste in Tauranga that there are several options for food tours to get you to experience it all. What’s more, locals are keen to share their fare with you, whether it’s through the local farmers’ market or through a cooking class.
Needless to say, New Zealand’s fastest-growing city also has an array of diverse eateries, as well as accommodations where food is a central part of the experience. Discover is all in this ultimate foodie guide to Tauranga!
Activities in Tauranga for Foodies
- Take a wine, beer and artisan food tour with Wildside Tours
- Visit the craft breweries with the Brewbus
- Do tastings on a wine tour with Tauranga Tasting Tours
- Do a cooking class with Cusine Concepts, Carolie’s Culinaire or Somerset Cottage
- Mingle with the locals at the Tauranga Farmers’ Market
- Taste award-winning ciders and more at The Cider Factorie
- Get “off the eaten track” on a food tour with Taste of Plenty
- Learn about the kiwifruit industry with Kiwifruit Country Tours
- Dine at Tauranga’s delectable restaurants.
For more information on each experience, take a look at 9 Things to Do in Tauranga for Foodies.
© Tauranga Tasting Tours ChartersFood Tours and Experiences
As the hub of the Bay of Plenty, with fruit orchards, vineyards and all sorts of artisans in and around the city, Tauranga has no lack of food tours and experiences.
A good place to start is the Wine, Cider and Artisan Food Tour with Wildside Tours. After picking you up from your accommodation, the team will take you on a culinary journey throughout Tauranga including to a boutique coffee roastery, a Dutch cheese shop, for cider tasting, Italian cheese tasting, salami tasting, wine and craft beer tasting.
For beer-lovers, don’t miss the Brewbus taking you to their favourite breweries and brew bars around Tauranga. Meet the people behind the beer and taste their craft. Enjoy either a bespoke tour to the breweries on your wishlist or let the team take you to the places on their regular schedule.
If you’re visiting Tauranga on one of the cruise ships, Tauranga Tasting Tours offers shore excursions of Tauranga’s nearby boutique wineries, as well as a top fine dining bistro in the city. The tour is packed with tastings, as well as giving you the opportunity to see Tauranga’s city and countryside. Find out more about Tauranga Tastings Tours on Viator and Tripadvisor.
Finally, get a more hands-on experience with one of the cooking classes in Tauranga. Cuisine Concepts offers a regular schedule of classes on seafood, tapas, summer salads, seasonal fare, relish and chutneys and more. Alternatively, Somerset Cottages in Bethlehem is not only a popular restaurant, but they also offer cooking classes in their restaurant kitchen. Of course, you get to sit, dine and chat afterwards!
For more food tours, check out the 9 Things to Do in Tauranga for Foodies.
© Tourism Bay of PlentyThe Best Restaurants in Tauranga
Tauranga presents an irresistible range of restaurants that will please even the fussiest foodies. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our recommendations for fine dining in The Luxury Guide to Tauranga. We also list some of the most romantic restaurants in The Honeymoon Guide to Tauranga. The best of the rest we’ll list here, starting with the Mills Reef Winery (2389 State Highway 2, RD4, Katikati), which serves antipodean-Pacific Rim cuisine along with this wine using grapes from the nearby Hawke’s Bay.
A little more central, Rice Rice Baby (136 Maunganui Road) is a top choice for Vietnamese cuisine in Mt Maunganui serving traditional recipes upon its bubble-pink tablecloths. Also in Mt Maunganui, don’t miss The Rising Tide (107 Newton Street) offering in-house beers from their brewery, as well as dumplings and some crowd-pleasers.
Find the Elizabeth Cafe and Larder (247 Cameron Road) in the heart of Tauranga offering freshly prepared meals from breakfast to dinner with a relaxing ambience of mixed clientele.
And don’t forget to try the classic Kiwi favourite, fresh fish and chips, from Bobby’s Fresh Fish Market (1 Dive Crescent).
For more on Tauranga’s street eats and cheap food, check out the Cheap Eats in Tauranga & Mt Maunganui.
© NZPocketGuide.comAlternative Things to Do in Tauranga
Believe it or not, Tauranga isn’t just all about the food. There are a few more excellent activities to fill up your itinerary and complete your city escape. Some of the highlights include:
- Kayak through a canyon of glowworms with Waimarino Kayak Tours (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor)
- Hike to the top of Mt Maunganui
- Visit the Tauranga Art Gallery
- Take a day trip to McLaren Falls Park
- Swim with dolphins with either Dolphin Seafaris (on Viator and Tripadvisor) or Orca Wild Adventures (on Viator and Tripadvisor)
- Take on the treetop obstacle course at Adrenalin Forest (on Viator and Tripadvisor)
For more ideas, check out the 10 Tauranga Must-Dos and 10 Best Things to Do in Tauranga.
Accommodation in Tauranga for Foodies
Accommodations with restaurants or meals:
- Trinity Wharf Tauranga
- Matua Lodge
- Hotel Armitage
- Seascape Villa B&B
- The Clarence Hotel
- The French Country Lodge
Self-catering accommodations:
- 850 Cameron Motel
- Quest on Durham
- Rainbow Motel
- Wanderlust NZ
- Cobblestone Court Motel
- Bennetts Thermal Pools Motor Inn
- Durham Court Motor Inn
- Ambassador Motor Inn
- Bethlehem Motor Inn
- ASURE Macy’s Motor Inn
- 18th Avenue Thermal Motel
- Arthouse Boutique Backpackers
For more information on our top recommendations, take a look at the 10 Best Accommodation in Tauranga for Foodies.
