New Zealand - Dining

Over the past five or so years, New Zealand's cuisine has come into its own. Excellent restaurants have popped up all across the country, serving homegrown fare as well as a wide variety of international cuisines, particularly Asian. The local foods to try include venison, fresh fish (the salmon is especially good), shellfish and fruits like kiwifruit, passion fruit and tamarillos (tree tomatoes). Make sure you sample a meat pie - a tasty throwback of British influence. (You can often find them made with salmon, if you prefer.) Lamb and hogget (one-year-old lamb) is delicious and very different from much of the lamb served in North America - it is much milder and similar to high-quality beef or pork. For dessert, the country's specialty is pavlova, an incredibly sweet baked meringue flavored with passion fruit.

Note: Be aware that the wait staff will not bring your bill until you ask for it.