Tag Archives: Unusual eats & drinks

Back to the 50’s in New Plymouth

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New Plymouth hosts Americarna, an all American car event, and also has its own American style Deluxe Diner. We pulled in to Deluxe Diner for breakfast and were impressed with the mint green and red decor, comfy booths, and big menu.

I’m a shocker for taking too long to choose my food but buttermilk pancakes always make it easy for me, Mike settled on the breakfast hot dog, both good choices. The drinks menu is almost as big as the food menu and stretches from cherry cola floats to Spirulina, VIP malted shakes to alcoholic milkshakes, and free fluffys … Read the rest

Super speedy dinner delivery at C1 Espresso in Christchurch

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Mike was travelling solo in Christchurch and thecuriouskiwi mission he chose to accept was to have dinner delivered via pneumatic tube at C1 Espresso. Initially delivery speed was up to 140km/h, surely the fastest dinner delivery in town, maybe even the world? Delivery speed has since been reduced to prevent food carnage.

We first saw (and sent a cannister flying) around a pneumatic conveyor system at The Faraday Centre in Napier. The systems were once used in New Zealand department stores to transfer cash between divisions.

Eventually the pneumatic tube system at C1 will deliver food cannisters from the … Read the rest

Thirsty Wellington – Unusual Places For A Brew

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Below are a few unusual places for a brew, alcoholic or otherwise in Wellington ….

The Backbencher Gastropub, 34 Molesworth Street
The Backbencher Gastropub is opposite Parliament and has a political theme. There have been a series of satirical political puppets strung up over the years. Prime Minister John Key unveiled a new set of puppets in 2013, including one of himself disco dancin’. We’ll see if he’ll be ‘stayin’ alive’ after the 2014 election.

There are a few spaces to eat and drink. You can head to the Back Bar to watch sport onscreen and have sports legends Tana … Read the rest

I wanted to be a prawn star …

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… like Casey from Auckland who caught a 43.5cm long prawn at Huka Prawn Park in Taupo. After 3.5 hours of fishing I thought I’d have to settle for being a prawn star photographer as all I’d done was photograph other peoples prawns and feed fish that were continually stripping my hook of bait.

However I kept baiting and kept waiting and after four hours I finally hooked a prawn. Did I taste success?

No, I looked at my little prawn and thought about how Mike had eaten some of its mates for lunch. I also realised that the bucket … Read the rest

Smash Palace Bar, Gisborne

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The name Smash Palace gives an indication of what to expect – think a guy called Gazza getting a liquor licence for his second hand shop / wreckers yard and inviting his mates around for a party. There’s a pool table, Lion Red on tap and a mix of soft and hard rock on the sound system. Smash turns it up mid January for the annual rock and metal event – Hell Smash Fest.

One of Gazza’s mates has conveniently landed a DC3 in the garden bar to provide some shade and another has sawn off the top of a … Read the rest

Curiously Cool in Queenstown

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Below Zero Ice Bar was a bit like a 3D New Zealand tourism brochure in ice, if you melted the polar bear. Although the polar bear’s handy for holding vodka bottles, and plenty of vodka is needed to fill the ice glasses with Perky Penguin and Chilled Kiwi cocktails.

The ice sculptures have changed since our visit, the jet boat may have gone but the gondola remains. The gondola comfortably seats two, although getting up close and personal isn’t a bad idea. After 30 minutes or so in Below Zero you’ll feel the cold begin to creep under the standard … Read the rest

Fish for lunch in Takaka

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Anatoki Salmon, 242 McCallum Road, Takaka
You catch it, they’ll smoke it at Anatoki Salmon. We spotted Matty McLean and friends fishing for their lunch – success. The use of fishing gear is free, you pay per kg for the salmon you catch. In November the price was $15 a kilo, from what we saw expect to pay about $22 per fish (includes cleaning and smoking).

I wasn’t keen to give it a go, it seemed a bit like going to the zoo to hunt wild game to me, but I was happy to have salmon sushi in the cafe … Read the rest

Curious or creepy? Wunderbar, Lyttelton

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Wunderbar prides itself on being unique, I’m going to call it curious, and a little bit creepy. The dolls head light shades could be considered cute, and if you’re going to behead some victims and display their heads in a cabinet it’s probably best they belong to Sindy and Barbie.

It was the hair roller light shades (with hair) that led me into creepy territory. I don’t know if the hair was real, neither of us was keen to examine it closely.  I couldn’t help wondering though whether hair from a hundred nanas was hanging out with us on Friday … Read the rest