On one of the first dry evenings we have had this spring, a group of international visitors here on business were invited to a truly intimate cultural experience at our home base Vineyard Cottages.
Legs of pork, chickens, kumara, potato and cabbage filled with coconut was piled into the pit on top of boiling hot volcanic rocks and covered with sheets, hessian sacks, palm leaves and earth. 3 hours later it was pulled from the ground and taken down to the lodge for everyone to tuck into.
Experiencing a hangi is one of the most authentic ways to experience New Zealand. It’s not a native New Zealand way of cooking but a true Polynesian one. Tucked away in amongst the vines of Waimauku our hangi evenings are the perfect way to try some of the most delicious food you will have in New Zealand.
This year has seen a great rise in the opportunity to try hangi cooked food. Monique Fiso has dedicated this year to extraordinary dining experiences around the country with her pop up restaurant Hia Kai. Rewi Spraggon, The Hangi Master opens a new hangi food truck in Auckland city later this month and at Taste of Auckland last month he and his team cooked gourmet hangis with a number of Auckland chefs throughout the festival.
From late summer onwards we will be doing a weekly hangi at Vineyard Cottages for our guests and anyone who would like to join us. Places will be limited to 25 per week and we will be doing pick ups and drop off from Auckland CBD.