Goat is the Most Beloved Meat in New Zealand

Wanaka Movie Theater, one of the coolest theaters I've ever been to

Typical Queenstown personal pizzas start around $25

Even breakfast there starts around $12-$15

Beautiful Lake Wanaka

Young German companion Max, wise beyond his years, hiking up to the Mount Brewster Hut for a cold winter night's stay

The New Zealand Department of Conservation does an amazing job with their huts

Hut from the outside, had to make our own tracks to get in

Hiking back down from Brewster Hut through the Southern Alps

New Zealand is an expensive country to visit, but it’s important to keep in mind just how isolated it is. It makes sense that things would be expensive when you consider: 1) They don’t tip (I am a big fan of this and think the U.S. should start not tipping as well) 2) Taxes are included 3) The population of both the North and the South Island together is less than 4.5 million so the market is relatively small and 4) The minimum wage is $15.25, which even adjusted for American dollars (also makes things “look” more expensive here) is still almost $11 an hour.

Queenstown was particularly expensive and while my brother had told me it was like the Vail or Aspen of New Zealand, I was still shocked by many of the prices (see pictures above). I didn’t even consider skiing although if the conditions had been better I may have just sucked it up and paid the $200 or so for equipment, transport, and ski ticket. Despite this, I enjoyed Queenstown very much and think if you have the time it’s worth going to both the thrill/outdoor sport capital cities of Queenstown and Wanaka (a younger sibling of sorts in some ways although much less developed).

What’s hard about prices here is that sometimes you just want some cheap garbage food, especially after a night out drinking, but you don’t want McDonalds or some other crappy American fast food chain. Solution: Late night convenience store “pies.” Pies are a big thing here and usually include some sort of meat and look like one of those American Chicken Pot Pie T.V. dinners. When in doubt for food (or money) you can usually find one, for maybe only $4-6. Add a coffee and you’ve got a classic NZ railway station meal.

After one night out in Queenstown I found myself with a new female friend at one such convenience stores after 1 AM trying to choose which pie to buy. At this very moment two large, young, drunk Kiwi goons came in talking loudly and keen to intervene in our pie hunt. One of them insisted we buy the goat pie. I’ve had goat in many countries and usually find it too gamy. After politely declining the Kiwi became aggressive and argumentative about our need to try the goat pie. “Goat is the most beloved meat in New Zealand and most consumed meat in the world.” He repeated this point several times. Actually, this is true although by volume more is consumed but this was beside the point. After we politely refuse one more time, he grabbed my friend’s hand and put it on the pie and told her to take it, at which point I had to step in and tell him “no means no” with a totally straight face. We eventually chose our non-threatening non-goat pies and ran out of the store fully intact. This is the sort of random thing about visiting a foreign place you laugh about later but probably forget about…unless you have a blog.