Maori Television's longest running series Kai Time On The Road is leaving no plate unturned in its milestone 10th season, which premiered on Sunday night.
The popular Rotorua-made cooking show's celebrity chef, Peter Peeti, checks out the food scene around the country over 26 mouth-watering episodes.
The show premiered in 2004 when Maori Television started broadcasting, making it the channel's longest running show.
Peeti said the variety of food and the differing ways it was cooked in different parts of the country had helped make the show successful. "People and food make a great recipe for success."
This season sees Peeti, an accomplished hunter, diver and fisherman, traverse the breadth and width of the country in search of local dishes with an indigenous flavour.
From Bluff to Gisborne to Putaruru, he leaves no plate unturned.
Going out on an oyster boat in Bluff and "diving for the biggest paua ever" was a highlight, as was feeding stingray by hand in Gisborne.
"But after feeding them by hand, I didn't want to eat them ... they were off the menu. I thought 'I can't do this, I can't cook them up'."
He also pays former Masterchef contestant and cult hero Cameron Petley a visit in his hometown of Putaruru, where they cook up a belly of pork.
He also takes a trip to Invercargill to harvest and cook toheroa.
The show is produced at Maui Productions in Rotorua.
Production manager Tanya Morrison said reaching the 10th season was a huge achievement, which would be acknowledged in the final episode.
She said Kai Time On The Road had come a long way since its debut.
"When we go back to the start, there's been a significant improvement ... whether it's the reo, the way it's filmed, the way it's edited, or its presentation."
It wouldn't work without the hard work of all the people involved behind the scenes.
Ms Morrison said: "That's the secret of the show ... everybody is so passionate about it."
After demand for the recipes that have featured on the programme, Maui Productions published the Kai Time cookbook, which went on to win the 2009 Gourmand World Cookbook Award.
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