WHAKATĀNE’S LAST TASTE OF SUMMER
Take your pick of these tantalising ways to savour the best food in the Eastern Bay.
Take your pick of these tantalising ways to savour the best food in the Eastern Bay.
Long Lunch Italian Style
Autumn in the Eastern Bay of Plenty seems to hold onto summer that much longer. The days are warm and calm, the ocean still inviting, and the coastline feels wide open once the holiday crowds have gone. It’s a great time to plan a trip to Whakatāne and the surrounding coast, especially with plenty happening across the region.
This season, the Eastern Bay is hosting a mix of foodie events, some part of the Bay’s popular Flavours of Plenty festival, that all highlight the region’s produce, fresh seafood and generous hospitality.
FARMING LIKE GRANDAD
April 18 — Te Teko Racecourse
While not all about food, this is one of the most-loved events on the autumn calendar. See the Clydesdale horses, sheep shearing, tractors, and farm machinery (old and new). There are wagon rides, vintage cars, exhibitions by the Axe Men, chainsaw races, farm animals, craft stalls, old-style kids’ games, food and live music - a classic country day out. Please note: due to farm animals, kindly leave dogs at home.
ŌHIWA OYSTER FESTIVAL
May 16 - Port Ōhope Wharf
Now in its third year, the Ōhiwa Oyster Festival returns with a day celebrating the start of the oyster season. Hosted by Tio Ōhiwa, the festival features freshly shucked oysters, seafood vendors from around Aotearoa, chef demonstrations, live music, markets and competitions, all set against the harbour backdrop at Port Ōhope Wharf. Tickets include entry and access to entertainment, activities and oyster stations throughout the day.
SHUCKED & POURED: ŌHIWA OYSTERS X MATA BEER
April 17 — Mata Brewery
A guided tasting that pairs freshly shucked Tio Ōhiwa oysters with a curated selection of Mata beers. Explore how different beer styles complement the briny character of the oysters, including a signature “oyster shooter”.
THE BIG FAT GREEK CYPRIOT LUNCH
April 18 - Awakaponga Community Hall
An instant sell-out in 2025, this lively event returns with a generous Greek Cypriot feast served meze-style, alongside music and plenty of convivial atmosphere.
SMOKE ON THE WATER
April 19 - Fisherman’s Wharf
Join Fisherman’s Wharf for a spectacular evening celebrating the craft of open-fire cooking. Enjoy a smoky four-course dinner, paired with drinks, and cooked entirely over live flames by renowned chef Paul Patterson.
SMOKE, FIRE & BBQ
April 25 - The Run 15
Celebrate the fundamentals of flavour with a campfire feast under the stars. Go off-grid for a one-night-only farm dining experience featuring generous barbecue, tips and tricks from the pit, and optional hands-on moments - all enjoyed fireside beneath clear country skies.
LE REPAS VAGABOND
April 25 — Waingarara Valley
A 12-course wandering meal of chef-led surprises inspired by Spanish, French, and Mediterranean flavours. This roaming feast promises creativity, generous flavour and plenty of surprises along the way. Bon Appétit. Sahten. Buen provecho.
MORE TO TICKLE THE TASTEBUDS MYSTERY FOOD TOUR
April 18 — Whakatāne
ALL YOU CAN EAT TACO NIGHT
April 22 & 29 - Cadera
NOSE TO TAIL BBQ FEAST
May 1 - The Smokin’ Goose
APPRENDRE PIZZA + CROISSANT
May 2 - L’Atelier
LONG LUNCH ITALIAN STYLE
May 2 - Top Shelf
PLATES A PLENTY
In its most ambitious festival yet, Flavours of Plenty continues to champion the freshest and finest of the Bay. From daring flavour pairings to blind cocktail tastings, this year is shaping up to be a standout.
In its most ambitious festival yet, Flavours of Plenty continues to champion the freshest and finest of the Bay. From daring flavour pairings to blind cocktail tastings, this year is shaping up to be a standout. WORDS SUE HOFFART
Coastal Bay of Plenty chefs are pushing culinary boundaries with such gusto, they have ensured the biggest Flavours of Plenty Festival yet. Festival director Rae Baker says this year’s eating extravaganza will bring almost 60 food events to the region, beginning in mid-April and running over 18 days. “It’s almost quadrupled in size since we started f ive years ago,” Rae says. “That’s partly because we have all these stunning food products and growers and producers here of course, but it’s our restaurants and cafes and chefs who have really driven the numbers up. So many of them have stepped aside from their everyday offerings and conjured all these exciting new ways to feed us.” Rae says festival events will include contests and workshops, food tours and market days. Some will happen in intriguing venues like a cinema or an art gallery, a community garden, a sculpture park or a marae. However, more than half will unfold inside established eateries and hospitality venues between Ōhope and Waihī Beach. “We just couldn’t do this without our heroic hospo people. Plenty of them have been through tough times in recent years and yet here they are with all this energy and enthusiasm, making edible magic for us.” She says restaurateurs have taken this year’s ‘pushing the palate’ theme to heart and devised experiences that challenge or thrill. Like the Sip Tease offering that invites diners on a blindfolded cocktail adventure in Tauriko. Or the Wings of Fire contest that teams spicy chicken wings with music and a tattoo artist who will create fiery designs.
GNAM (YUM) CHA AT THE TRADING POST, PAENGAROA
An eight-dish yum cha-style lunch will carry diners from Taiwan to Tuscany.
Italian owner-chef Simone and his international kitchen crew have devised a menu that melds European flavours from his home country with Taiwanese and Singaporean flavours. If Eastern dumplings and Western ravioli had a love affair, it would taste like this, Simone says. He is also promising salads that flirt with spice and an experience that is “deliciously messy in the best way”.
FINE DINING, DONE DIRTY AT SALTWATER, MOUNT MAUNGANUI
Oysters with attitude and cocktails with character are on the menu during this determinedly unpretentious seven-course lunch. High end food and top-shelf Eurovintage drops will be teamed with a “deliciously unfancy fine-dining vibe”. Palate-pushing? Yes. But also cheeky and playful; indulgence without the ego.
Saltwater restaurant will also host the festival’s madly popular Battle of the Snack competition, where hotshot chefs are paired with rising talent to create imaginative canapés. This one always sells out quickly.
POLARISING PLATES WITH NEIL SAPITULA AT SOLERA, MOUNT MAUNGANUI
The restaurant’s award-winning former head chef Neil Sapitula is asking diners to be brave when he returns to Solera for one night only. Neil’s daring five-course dinner is built around his favourite polarising ingredients and techniques. No menu will be revealed until the end, and no dishes will be explained, encouraging diners to approach each plate without bias or expectation. Embrace the unexpected, he advises guests. Optional wine matches feature natural and minimal-intervention wines, equally bold in character. Solera is hosting two other events. A second five-course dinner, Melting Point, stars savoury ice cream in every dish. Shaken by the Sea, Stirred by the Land pairs cocktails with seafood.
PLANTISSIMO AT GRATITUDE EATERY, MOUNT MAUNGANUI
Beloved for its delicious whole food menu and diverse dietary offerings, Gratitude is inviting guests to rethink the classic Italian feast. The usual kitchen team is handing over to Lombardy-born Stefano Raimondi, from Autentico, to offer a six-course vegan experience that will prove “flavour doesn’t need meat, cheese or wine to shine”. The plant-based, alcoholfree dinner will include handmade pasta though, and plenty of Italian-style warmth, generosity and soul. “It will make you rethink what’s truly essential for a happy table,” Stefano says.
FIVE GO WILD WITH FOOD AT ST AMAND, DOWNTOWN TAURANGA
Five fabulous chefs will each take charge of a course to showcase both their signature style and the region’s best produce. The degustation dinner will also star items chosen from the festival’s Plates of Plenty Challenge box, which challenges eateries to utilise a selection of locally-made artisan products or produce. Naturally, each course will be matched with a small-batch New Zealand wine.
FIVE BY FIFE AT FIFE LANE KITCHEN AND BAR, MOUNT MAUNGANUI
Five courses, each focussed on a single hero ingredient. Fife Lane will of course utilise the f ire-driven style that fills its tables every week but this event is especially intent on delivering bold flavour combinations, elegant presentation, and a dining experience that celebrates craftsmanship at every level. Seating is communal, creativity is a given.
The restaurant will also host guest speakers at a Fuelling Our Future lunch to fundraise for the Kura Kai charity that feeds families in need.
NOSE TO TAIL BBQ FEAST AT THE SMOKIN' GOOSE, AWAKERI
A sociable long-table banquet featuring both premium and adventurous cuts of beef, from ox tongue and beef cheeks to osso buco and bone marrow. Expect bold BBQ flavours, nibbles on arrival, a three-course feast and a surprise dessert to push your palate. The rustic Western vibe spills over into live music and guests are invited to dust off their boots and dress to impress.
SMOKE ON THE WATER AT FISHERMAN’S WHARF, ŌHOPE Gregarious chef Paul Patterson will start his event early, cranking up custom-made wood-fired barbecues from 8am. He will utilise local fruit trees and native wood to cook and smoke a selection of beef, venison and pork in front of his harbourside restaurant. Ticketholders will be able to watch the process during the day, then return in the evening for a four-course meal featuring big flavours, bourbon and blues music. Each course will be paired with either small batch bourbon or red wine. FLAVOURSOFPLENTYFESTIVAL.COM
From Paris to paradise
From French bistros to New York dreams, globe-trotting chef Paul Patterson has found his anchor at Ōhiwa Harbour's Fisherman’s Wharf.
From French bistros to New York dreams, globe-trotting chef Paul Patterson has found his anchor at Ōhiwa Harbour's Fisherman’s Wharf.
words SUE HOFFART
photos CLAIRE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY
Fijian-Kiwi chef Paul Patterson admits it was fun rather than food that lured him into commercial kitchens. The Ōhope restaurateur was 15 when he began washing dishes in a city pizzeria, relishing the vibrant social scene and comparative maturity of his female workmates. But everything shifted on the night a short-staffed chef called him to the stove.
“I was chucked in the deep end and I loved it,” he says. “By the time I was 16, I was half-running the pizza joint.”
So began a culinary career that has taken him to Paris, New York and to the Waiheke Island bowling club. He has flown to Glastonbury music festival to cook for celebrities and once scooped an award at the barbeque world championships in the American city of Memphis.
There have been a few additional stops along the way, too. Like starting a horticulture degree and completing an auto engineering diploma, with stints as a drainlayer, a security guard and photographer for a music industry magazine. Not to mention appearances on reality television show The Bachelorette. “But I always end up back in the kitchen.”
Now, at 40, he is settling into small-town life while casting for kingfish out the window of the Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant he has purchased on the edge of Ōhiwa Harbour. It was an act of charity that introduced him to the coastal community three years ago.
Paul had agreed to donate a personal chef experience for an animal welfare fundraising event, held at the Ōhope Beach Golf Links clubhouse each year. On that first visit, he was gobsmacked by the stunning beach backed by rolling hills and an especially relaxing rural ambiance.
During a subsequent stay, for the same event, he discovered a wharfside eatery with a bank of wooden windows that overlook darting stingrays, sailboats and a waterway stocked with fresh oysters.
Paul claims he pestered the previous owner into selling. Last year, he and partner Sarah Day moved their toddler son Hendrix to Ōhope to immerse themselves in a different kind of life.
“It’s a really beautiful place and this region is amazing, with the water and the bush. I can watch people floundering out the front here and 40 minutes’ drive from work, I can shoot a deer. A 40 minute boat ride and I can catch a marlin.
“I have customers with a gin distillery and there’s an island across the harbour with an avocado orchard on it. You can’t really beat it.”
Paul admits he was vastly less enthusiastic about the New Zealand lifestyle when Covid forced him to leave his central Parisian apartment and fly home in March 2020. He had been living on the banks of the Seine river, working as a restaurant consultant responsible for opening more than a dozen eateries in Paris and beyond.
In fact, he was weeks from launching an eatery in New York’s Lower Manhattan when the global pandemic scuppered not only the restaurant but his own plan to live part of the year on that side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Suddenly, Paris became eerily empty and Paul’s Fijian-born mother and Kiwi dad begged him to return to Auckland. He found himself marooned, unable to return to the bright lights of his former life and unsure how to move forward in his homeland.
It was, he says, a tough pill to swallow. So he dug drains to fund a new restaurant business in Parnell. When that didn’t work out, he moved to Waiheke Island to run the kitchen inside the island’s sole bowling club.
During his tenure, membership swelled from 300 to 900 members. His brief and unlikely screen career was sparked by an unsolicited casting call for The Bachelorette. He said no. However, he warmed to the idea after a few too many glasses of Bourbon with friends.
“And, actually, it was great. It was definitely a fun experience. You learn a lot about yourself. You’re stuck in a house with no phones, no music, no TV, so you have a lot of time to be in your own head. It was therapy.”
As always, he returned to his chef whites. “Yes, I love the food, the creativity, the thrill of getting a menu perfect but it’s more than that. For me, the kitchen is a place of crazy ups and downs, with a lot of emotions and a lot of pressure. You’re forever chasing something, trying to fix something, get better service, a better dining experience, better leadership of your staff. It’s addictive.”
On April 5, Paul will host a ‘Scales and Ales’ beer and seafood event for the Flavours of Plenty Festival. His ‘Cray Tales and Cocktails’ evening is scheduled for the following Saturday.
Celebrate the Eastern Bay
If stunning scenery and sun-filled days aren’t enough to draw you to Whakatāne and Ōhope this autumn, event season certainly will – and there are plenty to choose from.
If stunning scenery and sun-filled days aren’t enough to draw you to Whakatāne and Ōhope this autumn, event season certainly will – and there are plenty to choose from.
Flavours of Plenty events
Scales and Ale’s
Saturday, April 5
An evening of exceptional flavours at Fisherman’s Wharf. Indulge in a four-course dinner, each course paired with craft beers sourced from the region. Enjoy delicious, locally grown produce while taking in the stunning harbour views. This event is a must for beer lovers and foodies, offering a fusion of taste and ambiance. Don’t miss out on this unforgettable culinary experience, showcasing local brews and seasonal ingredients.
Tamariki Foodie Fair
Saturday, April 5
Treat your youngsters to a day of delight at the Tamariki Foodie Fair – the ultimate foodie event for children, offering fun, sensory experiences such as blind tasting, nut cracking, face painting, stilt walkers and food demonstrations for kids by kids. Food trucks will be there to serve kids’ favourite treats throughout the day at Wharfside overlooking Ōhiwa Harbour. Treat your Tamariki to a day of delight – the perfect day out for families. Free entry ensures everyone can join in, with delicious treats and selected activities for purchase.
Late Summer Farm Kitchen
Saturday, April 5
A unique farm-to-table experience celebrating the joy of cooking, sharing and savouring local produce. Set on a beautiful family farm with expansive gardens and a hand-built barn, this long summer lunch is part workshop, part cooking class, and part indulgent feast. Guests will enjoy a hands-on experience before sitting down to a long, leisurely lunch built around the best seasonal produce the farm has to offer. Whether a seasoned cook or a beginner, there’s the option to get involved or simply relax with a glass of wine and soak up the rural charm while enjoying great food, local wines, and warm hospitality.
Discover Wainui's Food Secrets Tour
Saturday, April 12
Join this exclusive food tour through Wainui, where you’ll explore the region’s best-kept edible secrets. It will take you to five carefully selected stops, each with its own remarkable story. From the oyster farms of Ōhiwa Harbour, where cultural significance meets sustainable farming, to the unlikely truffle success story, the journey unfolds as you meet local producers and taste their creations.
A Taste of Wainui Marketplace
Saturday, April 12
Celebrate the first-ever Wainui Producers Market, held in the picturesque Waingarara Valley. This free, family-friendly event showcases the region’s best food producers, offering fresh oysters and organic produce to truffles, olives, honey, macadamia nuts, berries, ice cream and wood-fired pizza. A licensed bar will be available for beer and wine purchases, while live entertainment adds to the fun atmosphere. Enjoy lunch, shop, and discover unique local produce in this scenic, community-focused event.
Cray Tails and Cocktails
Saturday, April 12
Enjoy four delicious crayfish dishes, each paired with a cocktail, all served in a laid-back atmosphere at Fisherman’s Wharf. With local produce, stunning waterfront views, and a relaxed vibe, this evening is all about indulging in tasty food and having fun. Whether you're a seafood fan or just looking for a casual night out, this event is one you won't want to miss.
To purchase tickets to any of these events, visit:
Retail paradise
If you make a weekend of it, be sure to save time for some retail therapy. Whakatāne and Ōhope have a selection of beautiful boutiques, featuring well-loved national and international brands.
Whakatāne
Whakatāne’s CBD has come of age in recent years. The attractive and bustling town centre makes it easy to roam with a range of boutique shops. After some retail therapy, soak up the plentiful sunshine at one of the outdoor eateries. Veer off the main drag and you’ll also find a few hidden gems.
TOP PICKS
Ōhope
Although it can be hard to drag yourself away from the waves of New Zealand’s most-loved beach, it’s worth taking a pit-stop at Ōhope Village to enjoy the laid-back shopping scene. Distinct and 4Artsake both offer beautiful giftware, art, clothing and accessories.
Make your bed
George Street Linen is one of those rare retail gems that is a delight to discover. Browse the ultimate selection of New Zealand-designed premium bed linen and bedding in a charming, light-filled store, abundantly stocked with inspirational textiles, home fragrances, and giftware. Their knowledgeable, friendly team prides themselves on hands-on service and passion for the brand.
110 The Strand
GEORGESTREETLINEN.COM
Style by design
Stocking top New Zealand and international labels – Deadly Ponies, Kathryn Wilson, NYNE, Elk, Lolly's Laundry, Zoe Kratzmann, Briarwood and POM Amsterdam among them – Capiz is centrally located in the heart of the shopping precinct. Its carefully curated range has made it Whakatāne’s boutique destination of choice for designer fashion, footwear, handbags and accessories.
156 The Strand
CAPIZ.CO.NZ
Other events
West End Wiggle 2025
Friday, April 11 – Sunday April 13
A traditional longboard festival presented by Salt Air Surf, this weekend includes lots of surf, art and music. This will be the event’s sixth year running.
Farming Like Grandad & Country Fair
Saturday, April 12
Experience farming as it used to be. Clydesdale horses, sheep shearing, farm animals, tractors, and farm machinery, food, music and much more for a fun day out for the whole family.
Ōhiwa Oyster Festival
Saturday, May 17
Don't miss out on this unforgettable celebration of oysters and local culture at Wharfside Ōhope. The opening ceremony will blend oyster appreciation with cultural celebration. Savour mouthwatering oysters, explore local food stalls, and groove to live entertainment from 12pm to 4pm.