A walk through the Pāpāmoa Hills is a must-do. Photo / Supplied
The Bay of Plenty is a foodie’s dream. You just have to know where to look, writes Varsha Anjali.
You wouldn’t know it at first. Looking at the scenes of the Bay of Plenty from the outside, everything appears as you would expect. Dreamy coasts, unrushed roads and vast fields. But inside restaurants, cafes and roasteries, the Festival of Plenty screams foodie’s paradise.
The first weekend of May marked my first time. But the festival, which celebrates the region’s produce for just over a month, has taken place every year since 2022. More than 50 events were held this year, between April 16 and May 3. There were open-fire cooking demos. There were cocktail masterclasses. There were Hot Ones-style wing-eating competitions. Delicious madness.
Time was short. No risks allowed. Everything this Aucklander ate had to be interesting or yum, but ideally both. Plates of Plenty made this easy. Eateries were challenged to create a delicious dish celebrating local produce and eaters vote for their favourite - a cool and creative way for this city-slicker to eat around the Bay.
But the first priority must be to wake up. I had driven for hours. For this, Henry & Ted cafe in Pāpāmoa was the correct choice. It sits right beside the beach, which makes it a popular spot for families and dog lovers.The views on a quiet morning were a gift.
I ordered the Ka Pai toastie, a competition dish that heroed basil pesto infused with pistachio and fresh cheddar cheese curds. It tasted like something between mozzarella and haloumi and felt like something between clean sheets in the morning and seventh heaven.
Competition dish Fire & Rice from Asian street food restaurant Master Kong in Mount Maunganui is still alive on my tongue after lunch. I was nervous about the “fire” part, but I didn’t need to be. Out came a bed of barbeque chicken pieces, infused with kawakawa and chilli oil, house-made black rice puffs and soy-soaked egg yolk oozing on everything. More peppery than spicy. Smokey as hell. Pretty as hell, too.
Chef Amrit, who’s originally from Nepal, told me the dish is inspired by one he grew up eating called chicken choila. The sichuan peppers he used were also from Nepal. He said this was his way of introducing locals to Nepalese flavours, which he says weren’t common in this region. And the response from customers? “It’s been a popular dish,” he said. I wasn’t surprised.
For all my eye-twitching coffee needs, there was Little Drum Coffee. This Mount Maunganui speciality coffee roaster has been around since 2015 and supplies all over the Bay. A single-origin batch brew from Ipanema was my go-to. Very smooth, light and bright. A subjective 10/10. The staff are absolute nerds about it all, which is exactly what I want from coffee makers. They know their stuff. They’re creative. And they’re local.
Another festival highlight was the Five Go Wild event, where five culinary greats showed off their skills in five dishes. Ian Harrison of The Grocer on Spring Street went wild with a cheesecake that used beetroot, goat’s cheese and balsamic. He confessed that he didn’t actually taste it. It was the best dessert I’ve had this year.
“I like to do desserts and I like to do them a little bit differently, but not be crazy,” Harrison said in an interview at the event. “I do like to use vegetables.”
Later, Harrison told me he knew why I loved it so much. “I keep it simple,” he said.
Auckland chef Nancye Pirini of Pullman Auckland Airport also showed off a savoury mille-feuille starring locally made fresh cheddar cheese curds. The cheese was made by a French-Canadian couple who were present on the night. They said they were inspired by a popular snack they eat in Quebec, but could not find in New Zealand. So they started making their own.
Pirini said she chose to work with this ingredient because she’s attracted to ingredients people are “afraid to use”.
“I love the challenge of using [this type of cheese], and I know there are some traditional dishes that you generally would use it with,” she said. “But I wanted to do something that was a little bit different to showcase what you could do with it.”
Staying at Tasman Holiday Parks in Pāpāmoa was ideal for a short stopover. None of the eateries are more than a 22-minute drive away from where I slept.
I stayed in a Premium Beachfront Villa, which would be ideal for families with children; there’s a comfy king bed, a set of bunk beds, a spacious kitchen and lounge, fully equipped with a dishwasher, washing machine and everything you need to cook and clean.
But that’s just on the inside. On the outside, there’s a pool, sauna, bike hire and camping. It feels like the ultimate spot to take your kids on holiday. I almost wish I had them.
Between meals, I went on walks. It got me energised as well as exposed to the natural beauty. So it was very important. And it wasn’t strenuous - also very important.
I drove to the end of Poplar Lane. From here, an hour-long stroll up to the summit of Pāpāmoa Hills is a must-do. These windy hills stretch from the end of the Otawa Range to the coastline and provide panoramic views of the countryside and grazing livestock. It was a good alternative to climbing Mount Maunganui, which is still closed due to the January landslides.
In the avocado capital of Katikati, the Haiku Pathway is vastly peaceful. Perhaps it’s because there are more than 40 haiku carved on boulders there. Perhaps it’s because the river is clear. I walked slowly. On my way back, a child and mum were making angels on fallen leaves, giggling.
Varsha Anjali is a journalist in the lifestyle team at the Herald. She is based in Auckland.
The journalist was a guest of Tourism Bay of Plenty.