Watching How-to-Dad’s YouTube videos gave us an idea of what to expect for some New Zealand food. He has a great video on things that Kiwis, the people who live in New Zealand, eat. Most of the things I didn’t expect us to get a chance to try, but there were a couple of times when I was able to get food that Kiwis eat at home.

Cheese Rolls

We went to the Otago Museum in Dunedin and found three types of cheese rolls. We got them all. These consist of a slice of white bread with cheese (or whatever filling) rolled in it. They are then toasted; the ones we had were pressed so the top and bottom got some color. They are exactly what you would expect them to be. Add some tomato sauce (ketchup) for additional flavor.

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream

Hokey Pokey ice cream is New Zealand’s second favorite flavor. (Vanilla is number one.) This vanilla-based ice cream gets its flavor from honey and has the added benefit of crystallized pieces of honeycomb throughout the scoop. The crunchy honey bits add to the textural experience while its caramel flavor feel is sweetly appealing.

Alpin Motel and Conference Center

One of the best places we stayed at was Rotorua’s Alpin Motel and Conference Center. The people who run the place delivered breakfast to our room, which included spaghetti on toast and Weetbix. It was great that we got to try New Zealand food, and they were included in the great price.