Yea sure, perhaps we should be drinking lots of water and little else.

But while you’re here you can’t let the opportunity to try some New Zealand drinks you usually won’t see overseas, right?

10 NEW ZEALAND DRINKS YOU HAVE TO TRY

1. KAWAKAWA TEA

Kawakawa is a native tree found around coastal areas of NZ. And more than just admiring it, you can brew the leaves to make your own kawakawa tea.

It’s super easy to make (see the previous link), and there are plenty of leaves to harvest.

In terms of taste, it’s a weak taste which is different from the strong peppery taste of the leaves, raw.

Some of the benefits include:

• eliminating wind…yes farts…apparently
• helping soothe digestive problems and sore throats
• acting as a diuretic which helps urinary tract health
• having anti-inflammatory properties

Alternatively, you can buy it in supermarkets and online. You can use the code BULK5 for 5% off orders at Oku.co.nz (they have a few kawakawa tea blends).

2. L&P

L&P (Lemon & Paeroa) is a cheesy world famous in New Zealand fizzy drink (a.k.a. soda/pop).

It’s lemon flavored and the Paeroa part of the name refers to the town Paeroa where the drink was founded in the early 1900s (and the photo above was taken).

Today the drink is produced by Coca Cola and can still be found supermarkets around the country. Personally, it’s a drink I’ll have once a month when I want that refreshing lemon taste.

For more about the history of one of the most recognisable New Zealand drinks, check out the history here.

3. LOCAL WINES

You’ve got to sample some of the wines in New Zealand. NZ doesn’t have the same fame in the wine industry compared to most places around the world, but we’ve got plenty of great wine-growing regions.

If you’ve got limited options, I’d recommend trying these two:

• Sauvigon Blanc from Marlborough
• Pinot Noir from Martinborough

4. CRAFT BEER

Yeap, NZ has jumped on the craft beer bandwagon that’s taken the world by storm.

There are craft breweries all over the country, but the city with the best reputation for craft beer would have to be Wellington, though I do like the hcraft beer scene in Queenstown.

I don’t need to give you much info about how to drink craft beer. You’ve got this!

But if you’re visiting Hobbiton you can look forward to drinking one of the beers at the Green Dragon Inn, sold only at Hobbiton.

5. CLASSIC KIWI BEERS

Most countries in Southeast Asia are famous for having a beer or two that’s nothing special, but nationwide and tourists will end up buying clothing sporting the beer’s logos. Think Chang in Thailand and Bintang in Indonesia.

Well, New Zealand has a couple of equivalent beers. Other kiwis will say others fit the category, but two is enough for now.

• Tui – based in Mangatainoka
• Speights – based in Dunedin

You’ll find the beer in supermarkets across the country and at a decent amount of pubs (craft beer is taking over in some parts). Or head for a brewery tour at their home bases.

6. FRESH WATER IN NATURE

I’m always surprised by how few people have had water straight from a stream. And while NZ’s rivers aren’t always as clean as you may suspect, there’s plenty of opportunities to take a drink straight from the source.

There are plenty of things to keep in mind safety wise, but I’ve never had an issue with a few simple rules:

• Find moving water
• Ideally be above treeline
• Be well away from any farmland

At worst get a Life Straw or something similar and you can drink water without any fears of bacteria etc.

7. BARISTA COFFEE

“I’m not going to be able to drink coffee after New Zealand.”

A lot of people who spend a few weeks in NZ drinking a morning coffee each day will say something along those lines.

I’m not a coffee drinker, but people tell me the baristas across the board are simply than the rest of the world (on average).

So when you’re in NZ, even if you’re on a budget, make sure to order a coffee from an independent coffee shop. The people tell me you need to order a flat white 🙂

8. LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY CHOCOLATE MILK

I, like many kiwis, will remember when Lewis Road Creamery Chocolate Milk was launched (it contains Whittakers chocolate).

The frenzy around the milk was insane, any stock the supermarkets had flew off the shelves leading to supermarkets hiring security guards. For the milk!

The buzz around this chocolate milk has died off, but you can still find it for sale in shops around the country.

Thought kiwis were weird already? You probably need to give the milk a try to see what the fuss is about.

9. CHARLIE’S ORANGE JUICE

I love Charlie’s Orange Juice, though it’s a bit of a treat as it’s on the high-end price-wise. But one of NZ’s funniest sports stars Marc Ellis was one of the Founders which probably makes me biased.

That’s because they keep things simple. There’s no concentrate, sugar, water, and other random ingredients.

They launched in 1999, and simply sold orange juice…they slowly expanded and were bought out by Asahi in 2011. But the juice hasn’t changed.

And if you don’t believe me that it’s so good, the comment above from their Instagram page might?

10. THE ROB ROY COCKTAIL

Rob Roy isn’t a name most kiwis will be familiar with (rightly so), but two of the most popular walks near Wanaka are named after him:

• Rob Roy Glacier Track
• Roys Peak Track

So while Rob Roy isn’t kiwi (and the drink was created in New York when the play about Rob Roy debuted), I thought given the popularity of these two hikes, you might want to celebrate walking them with a Rob Roy Cocktail.

The ingredients usually include:

• Scotch whisky
• sweet vermoun
• bitters

There’s plenty of recipes online if you need more assistance 😉

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What drinks in New Zealand are you looking forward to?

I’d love it if you can come back to this post and leave a comment below about your experience trying different New Zealand drinks.

And if there are any that should be included here! There’s a few more I was tempted to include 😉