Eating Out In New Zealand

A few months ago my husband and I went to New Zealand to visit some family. I had never been there before and so I wasn’t familiar with any ‘safe’ places to eat or buy food. If you’re anything like me, eating out- especially in a different country can be quite stressful when you’re unable to eat a lot of foods and don’t want to make a fuss for those traveling with you!

I found the Countdown supermarkets were exactly like Woolworths here in Australia and so I was able to find some quick snack foods easily however when it came to eating out I had a bit more trouble. I used our mobile phone to search on the net for gluten free and dairy free places to eat but didn’t have much luck until… I found the Gluten Free Living website!! (http://www.glutenfreeliving.co.nz) I was able to search for cafes and restaurants using the search bar. It was pretty easy!

I also used Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.co.nz) as well. Both of these websites were life savers! We were able to find places everywhere we went and it made it a stress free and enjoyable time!

Taupo

We needed somewhere to eat for breakfast when we were in Taupo and so I used the websites and discovered The Fine Fettle Cafe. We ate breakfast there everyday! They use whole foods and organic ingredients wherever they can. Vegetarian, GF & DF options were available! They are pretty adaptable to allergies/food sensitivities when taking your order. They also sell a small amount of products so I was able to buy some almond milk and some snacks.

That night we came across a lovely restaurant called Plateau. (http://plateautaupo.co.nz) Their menu didn’t state GF or DF but when we asked they were more than happy to accommodate for my dietary needs!! When the chef wanted to double-check with me, the waitress would come out and ask me what I would prefer. It was amazing service!! It was a great end to our stay in Taupo!

Te Puke (Mt Maunganui)

Lunch at 88 Cafe was fantastic! It made my day to find such a funky gluten free cafe in such a little town! However, a lot of the foods still had dairy in them so I settled for the all day breakfast. I was very happy with this option as well as the atmosphere the cafe provided. Dinner that night was at a restaurant called Latitude 37  – great options and great service. (http://www.latitude37restaurant.co.nz)

Some other places we ate at in Te Puke were: Coffee Club (had some okay options for lunch however quite minimal but it did the trick.) We had lunch at Dixie Brown’s (http://www.dixiebrowns.co.nz) and we were very happy with the GF and DF options.

Whangamata

My nephews and niece felt like hot chips and a run along the beach one night so we decided to get some take away.  There were no options for me at all the local take away places so I turned to the trusty websites I’d found and… Soul Burger appeared! It had so many gourmet burger options including DF, GF and Vegetarian!! Everyone was happy and full!! (http://www.soulburger.co.nz)

Tairua

Organic Shop was a great find.(http://www.organicexplorer.co.nz/shop/New+Directory/Browse+By+Region/Coromandel/All+Things+Organic.html)

Auckland

This would have to have been one of my favourite finds on our trip – Federal and Wolfe Cafe (http://kokako.co.nz/federal-wolfe/) We had breakfast here every morning and it took me to a happy place! My husband is a big coffee drinker and absolutely loved their coffee as well!

   This photo is of Peter’s Bircher Muesli Breakfast with almond milk.

I hope that my eating out experiences in New Zealand help you if you ever happen to be in any of these places…