Gourmet road trips: Bay of Plenty

With its bountiful produce, the Bay of Plenty is aptly named.

Tauranga, once a fishing village but now a cosmopolitan lifestyle city, has a full gamut of restaurants and cafes, from top cuisine to simple, affordable fare.

When the mood is informal, there is always the grand old New Zealand tradition of eating fish'n'chips out of newspaper.

Tauranga's Fresh Fish Market on Dive Cres - over the railway line from the newly modernised Strand and its line of eateries and bars - may not be sophisticated dining, but sitting at wooden barbecue tables on the old wharf, breathing in the smell of fish and saltwater, is true holiday relaxation.

Fishing boats tie up alongside, parents and children cast out their lines nearby, and there is continual activity to gaze at on the harbour.

The old shop is busy 12 hours a day selling a range of fresh and smoked seafood. But it is the mouth-watering fish'n'chips that bring in the most customers.

Although not a grape-growing area, Tauranga has been put on the winery map by the internationally applauded Mills Reef at Bethlehem and Morton Estate near Katikati. They grow their grapes in other regions but make and bottle their award-winning wines locally.

Northwest out of the city centre and a five-minute drive along the expressway will get you to Bethlehem and the imposing art deco-style Mills Reef Winery and Restaurant, set in spacious grounds on Moffat Rd.

Enjoy fine food, free wine-tasting and cellar-door sales. Tours of the stylish winery are by appointment.

Back to SH2 and another five minutes will take you to a classic New Zealand roadside produce stall at Te Puna.

Mr McGregor's (think Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit) has been a fixture for more than 20 years and is an easy left-hand exit from the highway, with ample parking and restrooms.

There is no Mr McGregor, but owners Peter and Lynne Anderson stock far more than the usual fruit and vegetables. You can buy packs of venison and grain-finished beef, plus an array of cottage industry preserves and sweets.

But the coup de grace for hot travellers is the frozen berry-flavoured yoghurt and icecream cones.

The stall is open year-round.

Further along the main highway, watch on the left for Morton Estate, an attractive Cape Dutch-style winery with a quality restaurant nearby, just south of the mural town of Katikati.

Call in for cellar-door sales and tastings 9.30am to 5pm seven days a week.

Between Katikati and Waihi, sidetrack to Waihi Beach for some super sausages. During summer, tiny Waihi Beach Butchery on Wilson Rd churns out more than 1200 of its old-fashioned beef bangers daily.

A perfect detour for "time out" is Waihi's Waitete Orchard Cafe and Icecreamery, a right turn off SH2 north of the mining town. On their organic blueberry orchard, John and Barbara Thomas produce gourmet icecream, fruit liqueurs and a wealth of other goodies.

Worth a visit is Ohinemuri Estate, a boutique winery and restaurant in a tranquil setting in the Karangahake Gorge between Waihi and Paeroa. Take a right turn into Moresby St and up the hill to the distinctive Latvian-style buildings.

German-born Horst Hillerich and his wife, Wendy, use Gisborne-grown grapes for their four signature wines.

Back to Tauranga, and Prenzel at the Mount is guaranteed to set the tastebuds tingling. The shop at 277 Maunganui Rd stocks a treasure-trove of liqueurs and schnapps. Among other 100 per cent natural New Zealand products you can sample are flavour-infused olive oils, non-alcohol cooking wines, essences, vinegars and dessert toppings.

If you head southeast through Te Puke, a visit to Kiwifruit Country just south of the town is a chance to taste fresh kiwifruit, fruit wines and liqueur.

A little off the beaten track is the small seaside settlement of Maketu, famous for its Maketu Pies. Grant and Karen Wilson started a cottage industry 21 years ago and now employ 40 staff and sell 17 flavours of their pies round the North Island.

Try some of the country's best native honeys at the Comvita Visitor Centre in charming Paengaroa Village, 9km south of Te Puke. Or take a container and fill it from the honey tanks.

Continue on SH2 to Whakatane. On the outskirts, look for Julians Berry Farm, 120m off SH30 on the left. Pluck your own choice of succulent strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries, blueberries, loganberries or layberries.

You can have coffee and "berry-baking" at the shop or enjoy the to-die-for natural fruit icecream.

From Whakatane, a few minutes' drive to Ohope Beach brings you to a real pearl. The Ohiwa Oyster Farm at 111 Wainui Rd, about 500m south of Ohope, is a compulsory stop for oyster-lovers.

The roadside takeaway shop, open daily from 8.30am to 7pm, has been perched beside the beautiful Ohiwa Harbour for more than 25 years. You can buy your oysters raw or cooked, by the punnet ($7.50) or the sackful ($50).

The dining is al fresco, at tables behind the shop where you can enjoy the view.

MORE INFORMATION

Tauranga Visitor Information Centre, 95 Willow St, Ph 07 578-8103, Bay of Plenty


Whakatane Information Centre, cnr Kakaharoa Drive and Quay St, Ph 07 308-6058, Whakatane


Mills Reef Winery, 143 Moffat Rd, Ph 07 576-8800


Morton Estate Winery, SH2 Katikati, Ph 07 552-0795

Ohinemuri Estate, Moresby St, Ph 07 862-8874,

Waitete Orchard Cafe and Icecreamery, 31 Orchard Rd, Waihi, Ph 07 863-8980

Kiwifruit Country, SH2 Te Puke, Ph 07 573-6340

Comvita Visitor Centre, Paengaroa Junction off SH33, 07 533-1987

* TOMORROW: Rotorua / Taupo

Gourmet road trips