New Zealand's cuisine is regarded as among the best in the world with a diverse range of ingredients utilising the 'fresh is best' policy which extends from seafood and prime beef and lamb to fresh fruit and vegetables.

The distinctly New Zealand-style cuisine available in the Waikato reflects a Pacific Rim influence, based on an eclectic mix of European, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Polynesian, Japanese and Vietnamese dishes.

The excellence of New Zealand food is a result of using fresh local ingredients such as lamb, pork and venison; salmon, crayfish, Bluff oysters, paua (abalone), mussels and scallops; kumara (sweet potato); kiwifruit and tamarillo and for those with a sweet tooth, delicacies such as pavlova (our national dessert), made from meringue and lashings of fresh whipped cream topped with fresh fruit or berries.

Spend the day out enjoying Hamilton's many activities and spend the night enjoying fine wine and cuisine. Take comfort in returning to your modern backpacker/hostel accommodation for a good night sleep.

Waikato and Bay of Plenty Wine Region

The Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions south of Auckland are gathering momentum with steadily expanding vineyard plantings occupying scattered pockets of land amidst rolling farmland. Tauranga features two locally based vinyeards, Mills Reef and Morton Estate which consistently win awards overseas for the excellence of their products.

Wine production is focused mainly on Chardonnay with Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc occupying second and third place. Our whites wines, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, have achieved an international reputation for excellence - and the reds are catching up fast!