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The Top of the South (the northern region of New Zealand’s South Island, encompassing Nelson, Marlborough and Golden Bay), is best known for its natural beauty. But it’s this very diversity of landscape and climate that also makes it an under-the-radar go-to for gourmands.
Those in-the-know are rewarded with an abundance of farm-to-table fare: from bountiful orchards to world-class vineyards, freshly harvested seafood and the artisanal fare of small-scale chocolatiers and brewers.
Read on to uncover this region’s most unmissable epicurean experiences.
See more about Top of the South on the new season of Luxury Escapes: The World’s Best Holidays, airing every Thursday on Foxtel at 8.30pm AEDT. Find out more here.
1. Enjoy a long winery lunch
Nelson and Marlborough are among the sunniest regions in New Zealand, making for ideal grape-growing conditions. With this come outstanding wineries: a favourite being Greystone, in Canterbury’s Waipara Valley, whose limestone-rich soils, originating from an ancient seabed, create exceptional terroir for its 100% organic-certified wines. Here, you can sit in the cradle of nature among the Omihi Hills as you dine on seasonal Canterbury produce. The ‘trust the chef’ four-course culinary journey includes optional wine selections, and dishes such as wild fallow deer osso buco with smoked beetroot and juniper apple, and a coconut and black peach ice cream sandwich. The restaurant at Black Estate has held two Cuisine Good Food Guide hats since 2019, and tables have a pretty outlook across one of the estate’s vineyard blocks. Expect a tight menu showcasing some of the region’s best – white fish crudo, lamb rump with Jerusalem artichoke, confit yams and truffle honey – or book in for a private wine tour and tasting from the estate’s Netherwood Winery.
2. Cook your own catch on the Marlborough Sounds
For seafood lovers, it doesn’t get any better than eating your catch straight from the Marlborough Sounds, prepared with flair in front of you onboard. Operated by passionate Picton resident Grand Orchard – a professional chef from a boatbuilding dynasty – Katabatic Charters offer a half or full-day expedition for up to 10 guests, designed for showcasing and savouring the outstanding beauty of the Sounds. Lunch might look like freshly harvested, green-lipped mussels or clams, or kingfish straight off the line, served with stories of the local ecosystem and the boat itself, the 13-metre Katabatic.
3. Savour and soak in hot pools
Indulge all your senses with a soak at the Maruia Hot Springs, followed by lunch overlooking the river. At the foot of the snow-dusted Southern Alps, this award-winning wellness destination encompasses a day spa, restaurant and natural geothermal mineral pools, whose waters have risen to the earth’s surface for centuries. Its chefs utilise the finest ingredients from local suppliers and the Southern Alps, for menus that are led by nature. Choose a platter loaded with produce of the day (think Akaroa smoked salmon, Blackball salami and Evansdale cheeses from the Otago region), a nutritious light lunch or the full three-course dinner experience, which might look like a home-brewed kombucha shot followed by Middle Eastern lamb and matcha chocolate souffle.
4. Dine onboard one of the world’s most scenic train journeys
Cutting through the Southern Alps from Greymouth to Christchurch, the TranzAlpine Scenic Plus is one of the world’s most spectacular train journeys, complete with an open-air viewing carriage for drinking in the scenery. Not only can you admire the passing mountains, rivers and pastures, you can taste the best of the land you pass through, with a paddock-to-plate menu served onboard. Regionally-inspired dishes can include South Island smoked salmon and slow-braised Canterbury lamb with a wine jus, served, of course, with Marlborough sauvignon blanc. It’s a feast in every sense.
5. Taste fresh produce at a local farmers’ market
Gourmet indulgence doesn’t just have to mean eating out: sometimes it’s grabbing beautiful, farm-fresh produce to prepare at your leisure. Happily, there are plenty of farmers’ markets in the region offering exactly that. On Wednesday mornings, Halifax Street in Nelson hosts the Nelson Farmers’ Market, where stalls laden with locally grown fruits and veggies sit alongside duck eggs, honey and artisanal produce, from nut butters to cider vinegar. Weekend visitors can discover The Nelson Market, held each Saturday from 8am to 1pm. The market has been in operation for 40 years and are a local institution, offering everything from fresh food and drinks to clothing, homewares and plants. In Blenheim on a Sunday, Marlborough Farmers’ Market invites you to fill your basket with homemade sourdough, chutneys, bakes and cheeses (as well as the usual suspects). Also on a Sunday is the market at Motueka, where handmade crafts and second-hand treasures join the farm fare.
6. Join a farm-to-table supper club or cooking class at a local homestead
Against a backdrop of rolling greenery and the snow-dusted Kaikoura mountains sits Hapuku Kitchen, a charming homestead whose mission is to connect good cooking with the land (whenua) and sea (moana). Opt for a farm-to-table cooking class and you’ll enjoy a small-group, hands-on experience, harvesting and foraging ingredients before sampling the dishes you’ve created in good company. There are also 12 spots available at the communal table for each Whare Kai supper club sitting, whereby three courses are prepared for you, each a celebration of the flavours of Kaikoura. Whichever culinary adventure you choose here, you’re sure to leave with a deep and lasting appreciation for the landscape.
7. Pick up artisanal produce from Moutere Artisans
The Top of the South is a hotspot not only for foodies, but artists. Bringing both together beautifully is Moutere Artisans, in the village of Upper Moutere, just outside Nelson. This hive of talent is home to producers making cheeses, gourmet mushrooms, freshly pressed olive oil, salami, smoked duck and black garlic. The oldest pub in New Zealand, The Moutere Inn, is also on-hand serving 13 variants of craft beer and hearty dishes like venison casserole and creamy seafood chowder. While you’re there, peruse the works of basket makers, jewellers, sculptors and ceramic artists.
8. Sip craft beer at a local brewery
Fans of a good craft beer or small-batch spirit should head for the West Coast, where a number of award-winning producers can be found. There’s the internationally renowned Reefton Distilling Co, which produces botanical gins, vodka and whisky on a two-hectare site at the edge of Reefton. Its spirits, such as its Little Biddy spiced apple gin, are blended using native ingredients from the surrounding hills. Also worth a visit are Monteith’s Brewery in Greymouth, dubbed ‘the home of craft brewing in New Zealand’, where you can pick up a brewery tour, tasting paddle and all-day dishes; and Shortjaw Brewing in Westport, whose taproom serves home-brewed beer and cider in addition to local wines and formidable burgers by Mister Chops. Brew Moon Brewing Company in Amberley is a small family-owned operation that serves up hot and salty bites in their taproom – fried pickles with ranch, loaded burgers and wood-fired pizzas.
9. Treat yourself at one of the region’s most celebrated restaurants
The Top of the South’s culinary prowess is on full display at its finest restaurants: Hopgoods, and Arbour. The former, in Nelson, serves seasonal, bistro-style dishes by the Le Gavroche-trained Kevin Hopgood in a heritage-listed setting. The menu is short and sweet and changes regularly (in keeping with what’s available seasonally), but can include pig’s cheek with carrot, apple, yam and black garlic honey, and lamb rump with pumpkin, feta pie, chard and date labneh. Similarly, Marlborough’s Arbour takes its inspiration from the seasons, with a menu showcasing produce from local hunters, growers and fishers (like cured hapuka loin with mandarin, nori and ginger tare), paired with drops hand-selected from the cellar.
10. Enjoy crayfish at the iconic Nin’s Bin
Sometimes the most memorable foodie experiences are the least assuming, and this can certainly be said of this tiny roadside café, 20 minutes from Kaikoura. The third-generation family-run Nin’s Bin started from a caravan 50 years ago, and its premise has never changed: fresh, local, sustainably caught crayfish and seafood, cooked simply with mineral water, lemon and a little garlic butter. Opt for a beautiful whole crayfish, the seaside classic, fish and chips, or or a bowl of live local mussels in white wine.
See more about Top of the South on the new season of Luxury Escapes: The World’s Best Holidays, airing every Thursday on Foxtel at 8.30pm AEDT. Find out more here.
