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Ed Peters

When New Zealanders take a holiday, many head for the Bay of Plenty.
A couple of hours’ drive south of Auckland, the bay – a bight along the northern coast of North Island that stretches for 260km (160 miles) from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east – seems to combine all the country’s star attributes into a single package.
The beaches stretch for 125km, there is surfing, fishing and swimming with dolphins offshore, and plenty of hiking and history on land, where superlative kiwifruit, avocados and Manuka honey are produced in abundance.
Indeed, the dining on offer is one of the bay’s chief attributes, and many of its restaurants come with a tale attached by way of an amuse-bouche.

Take Izakai, which anchors the gourmet strip abutting Bayview Mall in Tauranga, the Bay of Plenty’s largest city. The restaurant pivots around a long curved bar and has tables scattered both inside and out. Natural wood and stone impart a solid Kiwi feel.
Owner Liam Millard is a biological scientist by training. In 2017, the New Zealander mused on his future prospects over a post-Rugby Sevens beer at WTF, in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, he tells me, and wondered whether it would be possible to switch careers and open a restaurant that merged ultra-casual izakaya dining culture (which he had become fond of while teaching English in Osaka, Japan) with Maori cuisine.
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He opened Izakai – combining the Japanese term with the Maori word for food – in May 2019, so he first had to weather the Covid-19 pandemic.
Getting on for five years later, dishes such as pork belly and watercress ramen, and paua (sea snails) and prawn gyoza, regularly fly out of the restaurant’s kitchen.
“We had some help from New Zealand MasterChef winners Kasey and Karena Te-Awa Bird to start with, and although since we’ve employed a United Nations worth of chefs, the brigade is pretty much all Kiwi now,” Millard says.
“We source as much produce as we can locally, and that means herbs and sprouts from my own garden and stuff like lemons from friends and family, while the cheesecake’s kiwifruit grows on a farm about 15 minutes’ drive away.”

Small-scale, family-run, organic and deliciously uncorporate remain the most obvious attributes of the hospitality industry in the Bay of Plenty.
The Talisman Hotel in Katikati, a 30-minute drive to the north of Tauranga, first opened its doors in 1878 and continues to thrive, under the aegis of mother-and-daughter owners Michele and Danielle Reichmuth.
The yang of the gentle, shady garden bar and bistro plays counterpoint to the gaming room’s yin, with its “pokies”(slot machines) and pool tables, making the single-storey clapboard property an engaging social mecca.

In the seaside suburb of Mount Maunganui – which spreads out below Mauao, a 232-metre-high (761-foot-high) dormant volcanic cone that is revered in Maori legend and a popular morning hike – Glenn and Virginia Meikle started The Mount Brewing Company in 1996, later handing over to their daughter and son-in-law.
Its range of lager, pilsner and pale ale (Blow Hole) has grown to include cider and gin, and in a logical move, the current owners opened two brewpubs – both called The Rising Tide – one on the doorstep and the other a short way up the coast, in Omokoroa.
Right on the water in Tauranga, Anita and Peter Ward run Harbourside, a haven of modern fine dining with bay-view tables on the balcony and wooden floors that add to the bracing nautical feel.












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“All our fish – salmon, mussels – come from hereabouts, while the beef we use for Angus Eye fillets is sourced from Hawke’s Bay [315km to the south],” says Peter.
“Avocados, mushrooms, pumpkin and other veggies all have a very short journey from farm to table – so the food is sensationally fresh and our being on the waterfront is the ganache on the cake, you might say.”
South of Tauranga, 9km offshore from Whakatane, lies the (almost) dormant volcano that is Moutohora Island, a wildlife sanctuary strictly off-limits to casual visitors.
Crowned by pohutukawa trees growing straight out of the rock and prowled by tuatara – greenish brown lizards that can live for up to 100 years and whose DNA is said to stretch back millions – it makes the visitor think of Lord of the Rings and Jurassic Park.

We are frisked for biohazards before stepping aboard the excursion boat, shepherded and headcounted like so many schoolchildren by eagle-eyed guides, and adjured to stick to marked trails at all times. The rules and regulations are vital if the ecology of the island is to be preserved, but nothing can detract from the opportunity to step into somewhere that it would not be too clichéd to compare to Eden.
The guides point out koromiko bushes whose leaves salve tummy upsets, spout Maori lore and myths, then pause to admire the call of the rirorio, or grey warbler – “the sound of joy”.
Following a picnic lunch on the beach, scooping a hole in the sand and wallowing in the geothermal hot water that bubbles up from below ranks as one of the world’s best free spa treatments. If the bay has an acupuncture point, it is right here.

The bay’s most attractive shopping is found in its markets – typically held once a week in each location and prominently advertised – where fresh produce is a given and cheery food trucks dot the ranks of stalls selling artisanal products.
Markets here are not so much somewhere to shop as to swim through, taking the pulse of what creative imagination and natural materials can combine to deliver, be it something cute but practical for the home, a one-off fashion item or a unique artwork.
Regular shops can prove just as alluring, usually strung out along a town’s main street, where the pavements are roofed and the window displays a tiny bit dusty.
Sole proprietors win out over ubiquitous brand names, and second-hand stores – which seem to do a brisk trade – are a sure source of unique souvenirs.

One of the greatest draws of holidaying in the country increasingly referred to as Aotearoa is its robust, outdoorsy, matey authenticity – of which there is plenty in the bay.
Supermarket staff stop whatever they are doing to natter with customers who, on warmer days, are likely to be barefoot; complete strangers in ATM queues turn around to join in conversations; cars are as likely to sport a towing hook as a stereo; and shovels, firewood, and sacks of potatoes and onions are stacked up for sale at petrol stations.
Property agents’ adverts routinely include details relating to the hectares available for cattle and sheep grazing in addition to the number of bedrooms and bathrooms a property has; shops announcing a holiday break lasting three weeks evince little surprise; and passengers can load their bicycles onto racks affixed to the front of public buses.
Signs in a pub garden advising patrons to beware of falling avocados is no gimmick, as demonstrated by the occasional startled cry, and children’s outdoor playgrounds look like nothing so much as a special-forces assault course.
All of which helps show how the Bay of Plenty lives up to its name.


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Tourism

Bay of Plenty in New Zealand: hiking, beaches, restaurants that champion local produce and more await you in an area brimming with authenticity

Sea caves on Moutohora Island, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Photo: Ed Peters

Tauranga and beaches viewed from Mount Maunganui in New Zealand. Tauranga is the capital of the Bay of Plenty, a region whose attractions include its hiking trails, a wildlife sanctuary, and restaurants that champion local produce. Photo: Getty Images

Pork belly and watercress ramen from Izakai in the Bay of Plenty. Photo: Izakai

Liam Millard, who owns Izakai, is a biological scientist by training. Photo: Izakai

Tree art in a suburb of Mount Maunganui in New Zealand. Photo: Ed Peters

Tourists walk on Moutohora Island, a wildlife sanctuary that is strictly off-limits to casual visitors. Photo: Ed Peters

A statue on Moutohora Island. Photo: Ed Peters

Sea caves on Moutohora Island. Photo: Ed Peters

Hong Kong vs Shenzhen: a day of food, drinks, sightseeing and leisure compared – how much cheaper can the mainland Chinese city be?

A server slices a course of Beijing fruitwood roast duck at Blossom Palaces in Shenzhen, China, where one of our writers eats on their day of food, drink and leisure in the city to compare it with Hong Kong. Photo: Young Wang

Dim sum dishes at Laurel Restaurant (OCT branch) in Shenzhen. Photo: Young Wang

A view of Shenzhen’s Civic Centre (left, wide curved building) and surrounding areas from Free Sky. Photo: Young Wang 

A view across Shenzhen and farmland in Hong Kong from Free Sky. Photo: Young Wang

The Coco Park shopping complex in Shenzhen is across the road from the PAFC. Photo: Young Wang

Chinese New Year merchandise for sale at Sam’s Club in Futian. Photo: Young Wang

Sashimi at Benyuan Shiji Robatayaki, in Shenzhen’s EP Mall. Photo: Young Wang

Smoked Spanish pork neck with miso sauce at Benyuan Shiji Robatayaki. Photo: Young Wang

Dim sum dishes at Maxim’s Palace in City Hall, Central. Photo: Erika Na

Barbecue pork pineapple buns at Maxim’s Palace in City Hall. Photo: Erika Na

A street market stall on Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan. Photo: Erika Na

A temple in Sheung Wan. Photo: Erika Na

Our gelatos at Messina in Central. Photo: Erika Na

Artwork and teapots for sale in a gallery at Tai Kwun. Photo: Erika Na

He trained at Michelin-star restaurants, then picked up a wok and learned to cook ‘fun’ Chinese food. Andersen Lee on his new Montreal joint Oncle Lee

Chinese-Canadian chef Andersen Lee at his Montreal restaurant Oncle Lee. Photo: Scott Usheroff

Chinese-Canadian chef Andersen Lee at his Montreal restaurant Oncle Lee. Lee, 25, who trained in Michelin-star restaurants, opens up about switching from cooking European food to affordable Chinese food, and discovering his roots. Photo: Scott Usheroff

Lee puts the finishing touches to a dish at Oncle Lee. Photo: Scott Usheroff

Oncle Lee’s dragon-shaped door handles. Photo: Scott Usheroff

The interior of Oncle Lee. Photo: Scott Usheroff

Oncle Lee’s seared duck breast, duck confit in hoisin and five spice served with crepes and duck liver mousse. Photo: Scott Usheroff

Annee du serpent (“year of the snake”, in French) is a cocktail served at Oncle Lee. Photo: Scott Usheroff

Vegetables being stir fried in a wok at Oncle Lee. Photo: Scott Usheroff

Garlic and egg fried rice with cabbage slaw and nori crumble, at Oncle Lee. Photo: Scott Usheroff

Marinated salmon with ginger, scallion sauce and soy-devilled eggs, at Oncle Lee. Photo: Scott Usheroff

The name of Oncle Lee is a nod to the Chinese convention of calling older male family friends “uncle”, even if they’re not relatives. Photo: Scott Usheroff

China expects 9 billion domestic trips over Lunar New Year holiday. Indonesia could use some of those travelling Chinese, with its underused roads and airports

Last year there were huge crowds at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station during the Lunar New Year holiday. This year, the demand is even greater, with many on waiting lists for tickets. Photo: Getty Images

Passengers queue to board a train in Nanjing, in Jiangsu province, China, on January 25. Lunar New Year in China means getting together with family, and with 9 billion domestic trips expected, it seems everyone in the nation will be on the go during the holiday. Photo: Getty Images

Tourists take part in a rabbit dance at the 40th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China. Harbin is a popular destination for domestic tourists this year. Photo: Getty Images

Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka, Indonesia cost US$310 million to build, but has no transport infrastructure to connect it to the nearest city. Photo: Shutterstock

The world’s biggest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, is part of a strategy of targeting a new generation of younger travellers, its stern surely designed primarily for Instagram. Photo: Instagram / @royalcaribbean

Onlookers gather to watch Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas sail from Port Miami on its maiden cruise. Photo: Getty Images

Feels like Jurassic era jungle: a stay in Malaysia’s new Rompin State Park showcases rare wildlife and offers creature comforts

Walking to Padang Tujuh surrounded by Johannes palm trees in Rompin State Park, Malaysia. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

Rompin Rainforest Lodge provides modern accommodation in Malaysia’s new Rompin State Park, where primeval rainforest may make visitors think they’ve been transported to the Jurassic era when dinosaurs roamed. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

Walking among Rompin State Park’s endemic fan palm trees in the southeasternmost corner of Malaysia’s Pahang state. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

Rompin State Park has a new suspension bridge over the Kinchin River. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

One of the rooms at Rompin Rainforest Lodge. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

The breezy veranda of Rompin Rainforest Lodge’s restaurant is surrounded by rainforest. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

A scorpion under UV light during a night walk in Rompin State Park. The park is full of wildlife. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

The Seri Mahkota waterfalls in Rompin State Park. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

Rompin State Park’s endemic fan palm trees (Livistona endauensis). Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

Walking to Padang Tujuh surrounded by Johannes palm trees. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

A Raffles’ banded langur in Rompin State Park. Photo: Chan Kit Yeng

On a Philippines outrigger voyage around the islands of Palawan, no mod cons but nights under the stars, ocean swims and fresh sea urchin

Guests snorkel around the Balatik, anchored off of Darocotan Island in Palawan, Philippines. Photo: Jordan Winters

A voyage around the islands of Palawan on a traditional Filipino outrigger sailing boat includes reef swimming, dining on fresh fish and sea urchin, fun and games, and overnight stays at beach hideaways. Photo: Jordan Winters

James, a guide on the boat trip, strums a ukulele. The Tao staff elevate the voyage with their hands-on style. Photo: Jordan Winters

The journey starts with a kayak-assisted boarding of the Balatik, in Palawan, the Philippines. Photo: Jordan Winters

Tao crew and guests weave palm leaves into hats, one of many craft activities organised for guests aboard the Balatik. Photo: Jordan Winters

The Balatik, sitting in turquoise water, is prepared for a three-day expedition. Photo: Jordan Winters

The two-storey bamboo shelters at one of Tao’s base camps offer a close-to-nature overnight experience. Photo: Jordan Winters

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

The Bay of Plenty combines all the country’s star attributes in a single package – beautiful beaches, watersports, hiking and incredible dining opportunities
Maori cuisine meets Japanese izakaya dining culture at one restaurant, brew pubs serve thirsty travellers, while a wildlife sanctuary offers adventure


Hiking trails, beaches, restaurants that showcase local produce, a wildlife sanctuary – all this and plenty more to see and do in the Bay of Plenty on the northern coast of North Island in New Zealand.


New Zealand

Food and agriculture