A slow foodie tour of central Otago.
When we left Queenstown airport to head south on a slow foodie tour of Central Otago, we set in motion a ‘pub test’ for each destination – was it local, was it artisan, was it easy to park, and did it look delish or interesting? If it passed, then it was game on.
This trip was about stepping away from our busy Sydney lives and settling into deliciously slow and intentional travel. We called it a roadie with a reason. Tasting a region is as important as seeing it, and in ‘Central’, you can do both with local artisan producers dotted amongst tiny camper-friendly towns serving up flavours as memorable as Central’s stunning ‘big sky’ scenery.
Our plan was a roughly 520-kilometre return trip from Queenstown via Wānaka to the sleepy town of Waipiata for its legendary pub pie. Our goal was to taste the best of the best. Having grown up in New Zealand, I can remember stopping at roadside stalls with honesty boxes, devouring fresh seasonal stone fruits with juices oozing down our chins, and it was this carefree, slow-paced travel like when we were kids we were hoping to recreate.
