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Hitting the road to visit the new breed of farmers’ markets, local producers and organic shops is a great way to see the country.

Clean Eating in New Zealand



You would expect New Zealanders to eat well. The country’s rolling pastures, ample rainfall and isolation have always created plenty of seasonal produce and the traditional food culture was based on whole foods, home baking and preserving. In recent years though, Kiwis have gone further, embracing clean eating, organics and artisan producers as part of their daily routine.
Hitting the road to visit the new breed of farmers’ markets, local producers and organic shops is a great way to see the country.

Auckland – City Insider

In Auckland’s bijou inner-city suburbs of Grey Lynn, Ponsonby and Kingsland – along with yoga studios and shops selling exercise gear – there’s a plethora of clean and healthy eating. None of the organics shops are as cult as Little Bird Organics. The café now has three sites around central Auckland and makes everything from scratch. The salad bowls are legendary and so is the cheesecake. In Grey Lynn, you’ll find the original Auckland whole foods store, Harvest, which stocks everything from organic lima beans to skincare. Close by, you’ll find Ponsonby’s Raw Kitchen, which has original butchers’ tiles and a long, scrubbed white table and serves tonics, elixirs and smoothies. In neighbouring Kingsland, ivy-covered Mondays is down a little lane off the main street. The coffee is filtered and the salads are wonderful. The courtyard here is a particularly restful spot; there’s a yoga studio upstairs.

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The city also has a multitude of farmers’ markets: head to the Parnell Farmers’ Market on Saturdays for heirloom tomatoes and organic blueberries, or the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market on Sunday for nut butter and heritage greens.

Raglan – East Coast Cool

Raglan’s charming mix of surfers and backpackers on yoga holidays makes for a relaxing spot. Nowhere is this better seen than at Solscape, a retreat just out of town where you can stay in a tipi or an architecturally designed eco-house. The huge covered deck makes for an excellent breakfast spot. Meals are made using produce from the property’s garden and the green smoothies are particularly good. In town, you’ll find the Herbal Dispensary. If you’re not on a full detox, they serve excellent coffee and Ruapuke Artisan Bread. Look out for local hero Raglan Coconut Yoghurt while you’re there – dairy-free and taking the country by storm. In the network of laneways behind the main street, you’ll find Wok Raglan, selling locally-sourced products – look for Jersey Girls milk from nearby Matamata and Sweetree Honey from nearby Gordonton.

Wellington & Wairarapa Roaming

Wellington has a fiercely held and well-deserved reputation as the home of craft beer and great coffee, but it also has a long tradition of supporting small local producers. The latest cult item is Good Buzz Brewing Co, which brews kombucha using a 40-year-old family culture started by owner Alex Campbell’s grandmother. You can try it in a number of local cafés, including the Amsterdam Coffeeshop on Cuba Street. The Fix & Fogg's peanut butter is ground by hand in a small lane in the heart of the city. They don’t have a shop per se, but they invite passersby to “tap on the window” to learn more about what they do. Not far away, head to Seize on Lambton Quay – it’s a beautiful, timbered space. There are salads and raw baking and all manners of clean eating to fuel you through the day. Just north of the city, Greytown’s Food Forest Organics is a grocery and produce store with a beautiful garden out back and a focus on plant-based eating. The store sells local produce and organic staples. There are two airy apartments above the store for those who want to stay longer.

Central Otago & Queenstown

The Central Otago wine region is evolving – and quickly – and proof of this is Sherwood, an eco-hotel/restaurant on the main road into Queenstown with a spectacular view of the mountains. You’ll be served a kombucha as you check in, and the restaurant has a biodynamic focus serving natural wines and produce from the property’s vegetable garden, along with organic meat cooked over charcoal.

In town, head to Vudu Café and Larder for chai-# porridge, vegan bircher museli and buckwheat pancakes. The coffee’s brilliant too. Rehab serves brilliant smoothies and juices. Over the hill in Wanaka, there’s a growing community of producers, including the People’s Bread – the sourdough is dense and dark, made from hand-ground sprouted organic grain – and local producer Yum Granola making grain-free organic granola. You’ll find both of these at the legendary Soul Food Organics. Everything’s close in New Zealand, from dramatic natural landscapes to vibrant cities. You set the pace – from outdoor adventures, to cultural connections, to pure relaxation. And it’s safe, friendly and easy to get around. Amazing new experiences are just one flight away. For more information on New Zealand or to create your unique adventure, please visit: www.NewZealand.com and check out the “Wishlist” handy vacation planner.
Little Bird Cafe
Mondays Pistachio cake
Solscape
The Peoples Bread


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