I travelled all of New Zealand: These are my favourite tiny towns
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Loading... - Moore Julia
- 22 Feb 2023
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The best part of a New Zealand road trip is exploring tiny towns and their hidden gems.
During the Covid-19 border closures, I drove right around the country - and here are the four most underrated tiny towns I came across.
Paeroa
BROOK SABIN/STUFF
One of the pies at Providence Pantry.
Paeroa is etched in the minds of Kiwis thanks to its "world famous" drink, L&P. But something else has the town fizzing - its own kind of renaissance.
The town is home to a couple of excellent eateries, including the recently opened Providence Pantry. The café is run by an excellent chef, Rensha Bouwer, who formerly worked at Casita Miro, a superb winery and restaurant on Waiheke Island. The pantry has a selection of delicious sweet treats (cooked by Bouwer's mother) alongside pies that are so good they're bound to become legendary.
Paeroa is also home to The Refinery, which serves excellent food and coffee that would rival the best in the big cities.
BROOK SABIN/STUFF
Karangahake Gorge, and its many walking tracks, are just outside Paeroa.
There is still a place to pay homage to the town's famous drink: just off the main road, you'll find the L&P Café. Here, a lot of food comes with an L&P twist, with creations like eggs benedict with L&P hollandaise, L&P flavoured pork ribs, and even L&P chicken salad.
Just outside town, you'll also find some of the best short walks anywhere in New Zealand at the Karangahake Gorge.
Tuapeka Mouth
BROOK SABIN/STUFF
The Punt at Tuapeka Mouth only operates when river conditions are right.
This former gold mining town in Clutha now has only a handful of people remaining, but is home to one of the most unusual things you can do in New Zealand on four wheels.
It's called The Punt, where an old floating platform takes cars across the other side of the river. The well-worn appearance is due to its age; the punt was first installed in 1896 as a way of connecting a remote gold mining camp to the other side of the river. People, horses, cattle and sheep flocked to use it. A new model was installed in 1915 and is still largely the same today.
The service is free to use, but you need to check The Punt's Facebook page for the latest operating hours, because it depends on the river level and weather. Read More…
