• About Northland
  • Culture & History
  • Map of Northland
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  • Top of the North
  • East Coast & Bay of Islands
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  • Why Choose Northland?
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  • Venues
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  • Dining
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  • i-Sites
• Getting There & Around
  • Getting There and Away
  • Getting Around

Deals & Packages

Chill out and tuck in

In Northland, Vegemite is still Vegemite, but over here we buy our ice creams from dairies not milk bars, an esky is a chilly bin and if you fancy a middy, then you’ll need to order a ‘glass’ or a ‘12oz’ of beer at the bar.

Apart from the odd play on words though, we all pretty much speak in the same tongue when it comes to what we’re putting in our stomachs.

A banger’s a sausage, tomato ketchup is tomato sauce, a bottlo is a bottle store and a stubby is a small bottle of beer, not a pair of walking shorts. Right?

Fresh & tasty

More [?] Whatever the language, one thing’s for sure in Northland - we’re up with the best in the world when it comes to quality food, wine and boutique beers.

If you love fresh and tasty, then you’ve come to the right place. Northland is so chock full of the most amazing selection of delicious fruits, vegetables, wines, fishes, cheeses and other gourmet delicacies, that your tastebuds will soon be groaning in ecstasy.

It’s hardly surprising really. Not only is Northland the Birthplace of the Nation, but also where European settlers planted the first grapes, olives and fruit trees. Today, wherever you go, you’ll see evidence of their horticultural legacy in the rows of orchards and vineyards dotted across this fertile land, alongside an abundance of roadside stalls selling fresh produce.

But if you delve a little deeper into our gastro highways and byways, you’ll also find an awesome assortment of food being served in cafes, restaurants, takeaways and even our service stations (servos!), many which now sell quality gourmet pies and other choice kai (food).

Delectable chocolates

More [?] Torment your tastebuds and pack your esky to the brim with delicious homegrown tasties from our two major weekend markets – the Whangarei Growers Market and Bay of Islands Farmers Market where you’ll find a wealth of delicacies from standard and exotic seasonal fruits and vegetables to homemade canned tuna, smoked oyster mushroom powder - with gourmet mushrooms on toast if you’re feeling a bit peckish – paua fritters, award-winning wines and ports, macadamia nuts, olives and oils, jams, pickles and preserves, nuts, salamis, specialty cheeses and even Northland-grown bananas and pineapples as sweet as anywhere in the world.

Oh and then there’s the delectable chocolates, locally roasted coffee beans, fresh fish, Manuka honey, homemade continental sausages, mouth-watering gourmet mussels, health-giving Yacon syrup, organic teas, pure fruit juices, delicious breads and so much more.

Dining out

More [?] If dining out is your style, then our many award-winning chefs and funky baristas will serve you Northland's bounties from many stunning locations.

Whether you fancy fish and chips served from paper over the water at the world-famous Mangonui Fish Shop or prefer to indulge in estate-grown black Angus beef, native eel, honey, vegetables and fresh herbs at the Carrington Resort on the Karikari Peninsula, there’ll be the restaurant, café or bar with a view for you.

Watch the sun go down behind the magnificent sand dunes of the Hokianga Harbour, while enjoying freshly-caught crayfish from the decks of the Copthorne Hotel or get your teeth into some real New Zealand lamb while savouring Waitangi River views on Darryl’s Dinner Cruise.

And while you’re here, why not revert to nature and try a traditional Maori hangi dinner, an awesome culinary experience where your food will be cooked in wire baskets on top of hot rocks in the ground, covered by wet sheets and sacks, then dirt. The water in the sacks and cloth turns into steam which is trapped under the soil, cooking the kai – awesome to watch, and pretty tasty too!

Wines, wines and wines

More [?] Roadside stalls sell modern portable hangi meals, but if you want the real McCoy, then try a Taiamai Tours Maori Cultural Evening where you not only enjoy a true hangi dinner, but will be shown on to a Marae, given a traditional Maori welcome (whakatau) and a swim in the soothing Ngawha Springs.

Oh yes, we do cuisine well in Northland, but the culinary feast you’ll find here is equally complemented by our medal-winning wines. The North has an established reputation for chardonnays and pinot gris and now reds such as syrah (shiraz) and pinotage are becoming just as highly regarded.

For a real taste of Northland, follow the Northland Food and Wine Trail, a blend of 74 food and wine experiences, including 32 restaurants and cafes, four farm gate and roadside stalls offering from spray-free and GE to antibiotic-free produce and specialty food stores and artisan producers where’ll you’ll find all sorts of treats from pies to olives, pestos to yoghurts and chocolates to macadamias. Sample wines at any of the eight wineries or combine the wining and dining experience with a majestic view to suit your palate.

Inject some fun into your food with Ernie’s Live Kumara Show in Dargaville, home to the New Zealand sweet potato (kumara) or experience an edible plantscape with all the musical trimmings at Plantscape Hokianga.

Whatever your fancy, one’s thing’s for sure, you won’t go hungry in Northland.

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