Mr NQN and I are spoilt. We are used to relying on our GPS and our reliance on the stiff speaking male voice is apparent. We’re an hour late to our Maori Food Trail cooking class at the elegant Treetops Hunting Lodge (we quickly learn that “Lodge” is code for ultra luxury hotel here in NZ). We’re embarrassed and ring a couple of times and finally find our way down the secluded track to Treetops lodge where two large metal deer hold sentry. The gates slide open and we drive up the 2.5km hill to reach the lodge itself passing several of the 300-400 deer that roam the 2500 acre property.
Eru Tutaki
A smiling face greets us in the kitchen and it’s Eru Tutaki the Maori chef that is going to show us some native Maori foods. We start with a coffee and a cookie while he gets to know us and we him. The 36 year old father of three grew up in a town which was so small the population there was 30 people. At 17 he moved to Wellington where he studied for a Bachelor of Visual Maori Arts. He then studied sculpting creating figures in chocolate which then sparked an interest in food. Growing up, Eru wasn’t taught Maori so he rediscovered his roots when he started cooking. He learnt the Maori language and he uses it and his knowledge and research in his food to conduct these food trail tours which are based on Charles Royal’s tours but with an additional component of culture and language.
We were originally told that we’d be looking for native ingredients in the 800 year old forest and then coming back to the kitchen here to cook it. “Not quite…” Eru says and shows us to the room where I am to change out of my leather boots into a pair of gum boots (and yes the only ones that fit were Zebra ones 
). For not only are we going out for a trek among the forest but he is also going to cook the food that we pick out there. I squeeze Mr NQN’s hand in excitement.
We head off with several layers on as the temperature changes as we head towards our final destination, the Bridal Veil waterfall. The forest is quite young in terms of what it can produce so whilst he doesn’t use the ingredients in the cuisine at the lodge as they need more to keep up with the number of guests, he uses them in these tours. He expects that in 15 years, the forest will be able to produce what is necessary to serve at the lodge. Eru conducts 6-7 tours a month although some days he can conduct up to four tours as word spreads around the lodge about the tours.
Pikipiko fern
Eru tells us that Maori food and ingredients are said to be traditionally quite bland without a lot of seasoning but have a lot of medicinal properties. Seaweed was used as a replacement for salt when preserving fish. He shows us the Manuka fern that produces Pikopiko (the young fronds of the fern). There are over 350 ferns in New Zealand and we had eaten the trunk of the punga fern at the Hokitika Wild Foods Festival. He turns over the fern and breaks it and then explains that the Maori tradition is to thank the fern by massaging or stroking it releasing the spores.
Tawa Berry
Our next find is the bird attracting tawa berry which he uses to stuff pigeons. It’s similar to a plum with a sour taste and a large seed. During hunting season he will make up bird snares with the syrup. Another item that we come across is the Kareau vine which is a strong, flexible vine that grows from the ground. These are strong enough to make crayfish pots and are ready to snap off when they reach a certain height. They can be eaten with the outside bark and all and have the texture of asparagus with the flavour of watercress.
Kareau Vine
The hike is initially a little hard for me and I hear Mr NQN say “You can tell she’s from the city right?” but after a while I am fine. Eru tailors each walk to the ability of the people on the tour, some elderly guests who can’t walk far can pick from the nearby garden and they can enjoy a hangi at the lodge. For us though, we’re in for a real treat and what proves to be the most memorable experience that we have in New Zealand.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms
Mushroom season lasts for a month only. He shows us a fascinating mushroom called taringa which means “ear mushroom”. The baby ones are good to eat but when they get old and large they become stiff and inedible. They are also called painter’s palettes because of their shape.
Manuka Tree Bark
Eru then picks some bark from an old Manuka tree. Manuka bark and honey is known for keeping its flavour when cooking so he uses some of the old bark and twigs for smoking the duck that we are having for lunch. He only uses the trees that have broken or died rather than the alive ones. He picks some horopito leaves ( a native pepper) and asks us to put them between our front teeth and bite down on them. They’re spicy and peppery and quite strong.
Patete leaves
He tells us of how Maoris use cobwebs instead of bandages. Lastly he picks some Patete leaves or five fingers which he will use in teaching us how to make a hangi in a frypan. He stops in front of a small waterfall and explains that “I thought this was the Bridal Veil waterfall the first time I came here so I turned back” he laughs before indicating that we are to keep going.
The stunning Bridal Veil Falls
“I’m just going to wash these leaves in my kitchen sink” he says bending down and washing them in the stream. We walk a bit further until Mr NQN points up and touches my arm. We’re awed at the waterfall above us and then delighted at the table that Eru is setting up. He grins broadly, probably familiar with this moment when visitors look up and see the scenic beauty and what he is about to make.
Slicing the kareau
He wipes down the table and takes out a gas cooker and all of the ingredients. Everything is prepared in boxes and there are placements, linen and cutlery. The duck is precooked and vacuum packed as are the vegetables and salads. He pours the kawa kawa dressing over the salad and pours us a kawa kawa tea sweetened with honey from a thermos. He then slices the washed vines and places them in the salad.
The salad with sliced kareau
Simmering the pikopiko fern fronds
Constructing the portable hangi
Eru then makes the frypan hangi and places slices of sweet potato, field mushroom, Dutch carrots, pikopiko and duck on top of the manuka tree twigs and bark. He then covers them with the patete leaves and a wet hessian sack and then the lid and smokes them.
Smoked duck breast
Our lunch!
Once done, he sets them out on wooden plates and we try the food. It is fantastic food, the smoky flavour never overwhelming and gorgeously delicate. The sweet beetroot and horopito relish, buttered bread and salad pairs well with the smoky duck, sweet potato and mushroom. The stunning waterfall just metres from us adds to the surreal, other worldly atmosphere.
He tells us that another Maori tradition after the meal is to do a haka to thank the gods of the fresh spring. Women do a karanga. Most people know the haka as the rugby union haka but this is a different haka. The difference between this and a violent war haka are gestures such as the throat slitting gesture. Each haka tells other people where you come from and he says that if he goes anywhere in new Zealand and does his haka they will all know where he comes from. Eru’s haka is absolutely mesmerising to watch.
We end off with the traditional nose touching which is a lovely and fitting way to end our adventure. Eru then radios ahead for the car to pick us up and take us back to the lodge. Thus ends our fairytale afternoon and one of our favourite experiences during our New Zealand trip!
So tell me Dear Reader, are you a city person or a country person?
NQN and Mr NQN travelled and explored New Zealand as a guest of Tourism New Zealand.
Māori Indigenous Food Trail at Treetops Lodge
351 Kearoa Road, Horohoro 3077, New Zealand
Tel: + 64 (07) 333 2066
The food trail costs $185NZD plus GST per hour and can be tailored to physical ability.
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66 Comments | Add your own
So lovely! I wonder if you can find a similar experience in Australia?
Those photos of him doing the haka are priceless. So much emotion! And I really like that last photo too.
Aw, what a sweet, yet fascinating post. The food looks fresh and simple and delicious, and the culture is SO interesting! That form of greeting: nose touching…so affectionate!
How lovely! It must have been like going back into the garden of Eden with your own personal chef!
Oh my – this is wonderful! I am a country person – and am LOVING this food adventure that you went on!
How beautiful! What a stunning backdrop for cooking and eating. Fascinated by the native ingredients too. I am like Maree Osmond – a little bit country and a little bit rock’n'roll
What a fabulous experience. I love the last picture. xoxo Mum
Divine! I am definitely a city gal, gimme concrete, people and traffic – but that looks heavenly. LOVE the Haka too. SO powerful. That last photo is bliss.
prinn x
I adore that last photo of you – it’s beautiful! I love learning about local foods when I travel. It connects you to the people so much more and helps you understand about the history and people of the place you are visiting.
If only you took a video of the haka. His expressions are awesome…he’s the cook and entertainment all in one! Looks like you had a great time, you lucky duck
*at a loss for words* Be still my beating heart – what an experience! I’ll bet Eru has quite a following of weak-kneed ladies
xxx
Beautiful Lorraine! I love cities, but I think I’m a country girl at heart.
how lovely!
i would love to live in the country but have a funny feeling that once i get there id wanna go back to the city eheheh
I was always a city chick – then I made a sea change from the city to a beautiful little place on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria I am surrounded by vineyards, farms, fresh produce sold by the side of the road
pure bliss
I’ve always thought city! but since I started working out in Cobbitty (sydney south west) I’ve come to love the green grass and peace. I still get city girl excited when I drive past cows every morning to get to work
My gosh what an experience I love NZ its a beautiful country with amazing foodie experiences… Thanks for sharing it…
Big Smiles Roz
Definitely a city person, though love getting out to the bush occasionally. The fern fronds look delicious. I last ate them in Borneo and absolutely fell in love with the texture. What a great experience you had there!
Funny, I saw Paul Mercurio doing this same experience on his TV show just the other week.
Eru seems like a real sweetheart. And all that lovely food outdoors, how beautiful!
I can’t believe I’ve lived in NZ for over 20 years and I’ve never done a Maori food trail. For shame! It’s shot straight up to the top of my to do list!
what a wonderful post, to gaze up at that waterfall would be a treat ! love city and country equally…cant live without either
I was born in Nu Zeland,but raised in Australia since I was 8 years old. I like to consider myself a Kwaussie
I had no idea about Maori cuisine and as someone who still has fond memories of the haka, maoris, punga ferns and NZ forest,(AND also as someone who believes wholeheartedly in REAL FOOD-food is your medicine, medicine is your food)-this post evoked has so many emotions! I always love your posts but this is my favourite post by far,(and I just KNOW that the energy you felt during that experience could not be captured in this post!) Thanks for making me grin…and contemplate plane fares 
oh goodness,call the spell check police!
Wow, this is incredible, Lorraine! I had no idea there were so many edibles in a forest (and that they were so gourmet for that matter)! The lunch you had was just gorgeous and the scenery to go with it was stunning!
What an amazing area with such a wealth of wild ingredients. It’s another reminder that I need to make another trip to that side of the world, as there are so many magical moments to experience.
That looks absolutely amazing!!! you are so fortunate to be able to have these experiences and thanks for sharing them with us
Emanuela.
I love learning about native/bush foods
My parents just did a bush tucker tour in the Top End where they ate green ants. I was super envious 
Love the photo at the end – I remember going to NZ in grade 7 and the first time we got off the bus in Wellington, we were greeted like that. There might have been a lot of 12-year-old giggling…
This experience is amazing. A nature walk and food after, in the forest. I must do this one day.
Oh how fun! One day when I win the lottery, I’ll have to remember to add this sort of thing to the list. I grew up on a farm in the midle of nowhere. Definately a country girl. I learned to pick wild mushrooms, some wild greens, and still hate store bought carrots and beans!
Wow what a beautiful post!Your picture in the end, the natural beauty and food all are amazing!
My parents once took us trekking and one of the places had some wild mushrooms growing. I have always loved mushrooms and my inquisitive mind prompted me to try one. My parents went ballistic when they got to know that I ate a wild mushroom. Thankfully they were not poisonous!
That is amazing! What a great experience! I’m so curious about the taste of the fern.
City gal ALL the way… But your adventure did make me think twice about the loveliness/simpleness of the country life. A fabulous post NQN! The last photo is brilliant! What a great tradition!
wow what an amazing experience- thats going on my bucket list
I guess I am a city slicker…but I am so jealous: what an amazing lunch and experience.
Canberra is a city without being a city. On my way to work I see sheep, cows and kangaroos all i 15mins of driving. I think I have the best of both worlds.
i’m a country person, and i’d LOVE this experience! what an edifying and enlightening adventure.
The Bride’s Veil looks spectacular and the flora you encountered on your trip look so fascinating. (Painter’s palette mushrooms! Pretty curving ferns!)
And Chef Eru’s haka stances are just fierce.
Such a beautiful country…I would love to visit NZ…
all I can say is WOW – what a breathtaking experience!
Although I love cities, nothing beats beautiful natural scenery. The food that was prepared looks just as majestic as the location!
In a word……..EXQUISITE!
Sign me up for a trip to the Treetops in New Zealand. Wow, does that look like fun. Love the energy & enthusiasm of your chef. Love the fresh food & the presentation.
Absolutely gorgeous, Lorraine!! I want to go there and try all those amazing ingredients… you must feel so blessed to have done it. The chef looks too cool for words and I love his aesthetic and cuisine… beautiful report and photos!!!
I like anything with waterfalls!
Sigh…what a fabulous post! A meal under a rainforest, from foraged foods – great stuff!
What a lucky person you are. Beautiful pictures and what an adventure.
Kia ora for posting this Lorraine! I had tears in my eyes seeing such wonderful photos ~ made me miss home : ))
I Especially love the last photo of you and Eru doing a hongi ~ which is the traditional greeting for Maori.
When we gently touch noses we breath in each others life force ~ for us this is the most scared greeting we can pass on to your guests or our manuhiri.
It welcomes them and makes them one with the people of the land _the tangata whenua.
What an incredible experience. Ive got goosebumps thinking about it!
i am definitely a Parisian city boy !! Pierre
Wow what an amazing experience Lorraine. I have memories of travelling in NZ and eating food cooked Maori style in a pit – the meat was delicious.
I was so excited reading this post! There’s nothing better than travelling to foreign places, learning about the culture & trying traditional foods! And that waterfall, breathtaking! Fantastic photos too!
I like living close to the city but i’m not a huge fan of visiting them.
Awesome!That looks like so much fun. And I love the meal is picked from the trail. Intrigued. Very intrigued.
How cool – what an awesome setting to have lunch in. Yum.
oh my gosh I am so jealous! This is just the most fantastic looking experience!
I love bush tucker adventures and this looks like such a good one! Even better if there are zebra print gumboots involved, and a haka for good measure – perfect!
OMG! This is so lovely, so well captured! I love it to pieces, I must try!
WoW! Ain’t he sexy! Did he melt you heart right away?
now I so envy you!
must book my air flight!
lots of sooky ex-pat kiwis after this post…my heart swells with emotion & my mouth waters with memories of the beautiful food of my youth.
Wow, triple wow – amazing post Lorraine!! This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience – wish I could time-transport myself to Tree Tops NOW
Maybe if I send the link to husband tonight (tomorrow’s my birthday), he’ll get the (not-so-subtle) hint??
Awesome lunch, looks like an amazing place.
I love the first picture!
That’s beautiful.
Thank for this post
I like All pictures.
These are Good.
Oh!
Very Good Pictures.
I’m catching up on a few missed blogs and this is a complete treat. What an amazing chap Eru is – trained as a sculptor and decided to become a world class chef instead. That looked like an incredible experience and is possibly my favourite of your blogs yet. The nose touching picture is gorgeous. I love this whole piece very much
Oh, I forgot to answer the question I got so carried away. I have come to the conclusion I’m an urban-hillbilly. I love the countryside and lived in rural Devon for 12 years, but I’m back in a smallish city and don’t mind that either. London however is too much for me!
What an amazing experience…and wonderful to finally see a photo with you in it!
NQN: I am honeymooning in NZ in January and I would love to check this out! Is it possible to do this food trail without staying overnight at Treetops? The resort itself looks lovely, but it is WAY out of our budget!
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