Eat Drink Dunedin has launched a new culinary walking experience that introduces visitors to New Zealand food culture through Dunedin's flavours, stories and hospitality.
The New Zealand Food Tour is a two-and-a-half-hour progressive lunch and walking tour through central Dunedin, combining classic Kiwi foods, southern seafood, local craftsmanship and the city’s heritage.
Designed for both international visitors and domestic travellers, the experience takes a deliberately nostalgic approach to New Zealand cuisine. Rather than focusing solely on contemporary dining, the tour celebrates the foods and flavours many New Zealanders have grown up with.
Guests taste their way through familiar favourites including the flat white and pavlova, alongside retro bakery classics and the South Island staple, the cheese roll.
Eat Drink Dunedin’s Nicola McConnell said food provided an opportunity for visitors to understand more about a destination and the people who live there.
"For me, food tells the story of a place, stories and memories," said McConnell. "Kiwis love to celebrate our world-class produce, and we should also own our quirky, nostalgic staples - from retro bakery delights to fierce regional pride over southern Cheese Rolls.”
Southern seafood also plays a significant role in the experience, highlighting the produce available from the cold waters surrounding the lower South Island.
One of the tour’s courses is served at Best Cafe, Dunedin’s oldest operating restaurant, with the offering changing according to seasonal availability and daily catches. Blue cod, green-lipped mussels, pāua and freshly shucked oysters are among the New Zealand seafood that may feature.
The progressive lunch is woven into a gentle 1.8 kilometre walk that begins at the Dunedin Railway Station and moves through the city’s heritage centre.
Between courses, guests learn more about the 1860s Otago gold rush and the wealth that helped shape Dunedin’s Victorian architecture and streetscapes. The route also incorporates local craftsmanship, including an artisan gallery featuring locally hand-carved New Zealand pounamu.
McConnell said the aim was to offer visitors an experience firmly connected to its destination.
Further expansion is already planned, with an evening dinner tour and dedicated Mandarin-speaking guided tours expected to launch in the coming months.
