The Foodie Guide to the Coromandel© Pxhere
The Foodie Guide to the Coromandel

The Foodie Guide to the Coromandel

© Pxhere

The Food Guide to the Coromandel

Experience the Coromandel Peninsula through its flavours on a foodie trip! Artisans creating all sorts of cheeses, preserves and that all-famous New Zealand honey open their doors for tastings, while the vineyards provide a stunning setting for wine tastings and relaxing with a wood-fired pizza. Organic local produce, fresh oysters straight from the farm, and even dedicated hiking food tours are just some of the experiences on the menu for foodies.

So, plan your activities, the restaurants and the accommodation with this complete foodie guide to the Coromandel.

Things to Do in the Coromandel for Foodies

  • Hit the foodie places on the Hauraki Rail Trail
  • Try wine and other surprises at a local winery
  • Mingle with the locals at a farmers’ market
  • Pick up artisan cheese, chutneys, honey and more
  • Indulge in fresh Coromandel seafood
  • Relax at a Coromandel cafe
  • Take a hiking food tour with Nature & Nosh (find out more on Viator and Tripadvisor).

For more information on each activity, check out 7 Things to Do in the Coromandel for Foodies.

The Foodie Guide to the Coromandel© Pxhere

Food Experiences in the Coromandel

With wineries and artisans across the region, a self-guided foodie tour of the Coromandel is easy. Some noteworthy places to add to your itinerary include:

Omahu Valley Citrus (146 Omahu Valley Road, RD 4, Paeroa) – Pop into this artisan, producing citrus products from marmalades to chutneys and more. Visit by making an appointment.

Cheese Barn (4 Wainui Road, Matatoki) – Sample locally-made blue, mozzarella, camembert, Dutch gouda and more!

The Coromandel Oyster Co. (1611 Manaia Road, Manaia) – Try oysters fresh from the farm in half or whole shells.

Hereford ‘n’ A Pickle (2318 Colville Road, Colville) – Try homemade chutneys, jams, honey, sauces and sausages at this cafe, all produced on a local family farm.

Wilderland (RD1/2486 Tairua Whitianga Road, Kaimarama) – Buy home-made, home-grown, certified-organic products, including honey, jams, chutneys, and cider vinegar made from a self-sufficient community of people running an organic farm.

Cathedral Cove Macadamias (335 Lees Road, Hahei) – Go on a self-guided tour here to sample a range of products including macadamia oils, dukkah, crumb macadamias, chocolate macadamias, spreads and honey.

Mercury Bay Estate (761 Purangi Road, Cooks Beach) – A cellar door with wine tasting straight from the winery, as well as antipasto platters and wood-fired pizzas.

Purangi Estate (501 Purangi Road, Cooks Beach) – A relaxed and rustic winery experience producing a few other surprises, like their Feijoa Cider.

Hot Water Brewing Co. (1043 Tairua Whitianga Road, Whitianga) – Try their famous canned craft beers!

For more ways to experience these artisans, check out the 7 Things to Do in the Coromandel for Foodies.

The Foodie Guide to the Coromandel© NZPocketGuide.com

The Best Restaurants in the Coromandel

You won’t have too much trouble finding some awesome places to try the local cuisine in the Coromandel. The Coromandel is a place to indulge in local seafood year-round, as well as sip on local coffees and enjoy fine dining and more.

For cafe experiences, try The Wharf Coffee House (Shortland Wharf at Queen Street, Thames) for their fresh fish and chips and affordable lunches. The Castle Rock Cafe (Whangapoua Road, Whangapoua) is a country-style cafe where the bread is homemade and they also sell their own products made from New Zealand chillis. And in Tairua, don’t miss The Old Mill Cafe (1 The Esplanade) offering hearty breakfasts and a seasonal dinner menu with live music occasionally.

The Coromandel is the place to try fresh New Zealand seafood, particularly at eateries like The Pepper Tree Restaurant (31 Kapanga Road, Coromandel Town) focussing on oysters, mussels and organic local produce. In Whitianga, Blackbeard’s Smokehouse (18 Carina Way) also serves up mussels that are harvested, marinated and smoked in the Coromandel, while Salt Restaurant (Blacksmith Lane) serves the likes of Coromandel green-lipped mussels and oysters along with the Maori dish, Te Ika Mata (raw fish) and Tuna Ahi Poke.

A few others worth mentioning include TheLimeRoom (100 Augusta Drive, Pauanui), which is a 100% gluten-free restaurant. The Miha Restaurant (42 Mount Avenue) is a fine dining restaurant in Pauanui serving Pacific Rim cuisine with a European twist.

For more recommendations, check out more fine dining in The Luxury Guide to the Coromandel, romantic restaurants in The Honeymoon Guide to the Coromandel and cheap eats in The Guide to the Coromandel on a Budget.

The Foodie Guide to the Coromandel© NZPocketGuide.com

Alternative Things to Do

Believe it or not, there’s more to the Coromandel than food. There’s a whole array of adventures to be had along the stunning coasts and beaches to the inland bushwalks. A few ideas include:

For elaboration on each activity and more, check out the 15 Coromandel Must-Dos.

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

Laura S.

This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.

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