Some featured foods are indeed wild but with a name like Wildfoods Festival, you can’t say that you were not forewarned. Do you dare to try a sheep milk shot or huhu grubs, taken fresh from the log and barbequed?
If not, don’t worry, the festival is packed with many other delicious and more traditional festival food choices from the wild west coast of New Zealand. It takes place in the town of Hokitika from March 7th to 9th, together with a Downtown Market.
“Local woman, Claire Bryant, instigated the very first celebration of local wild food. Her wine cellar was very well stocked with a home brew of West Coast gorse flower wine and people were clamouring for a taste of her rose petal brew. So ….. why not a festival celebrating the tastes of the wild West Coast! The event also coincided with the 125th anniversary of the birth of Hokitika in March 1990.
And so it eventuated ….. locals and the rest of New Zealand were captured by the magic of the idea – a celebration of Hokitika and the wild foods of the West Coast.
The Wildfoods Festival has become an iconic and premier special event in New Zealand.
New wild foods are introduced every year and this year was no exception with such innovations as wasp larvae icecream, cucumber fish, sheep milk cheeses and wok fried clams to name just a few!
Roving entertainment, mingling amongst the crowd, and continuous stage performances enliven the Festival arena with bands, solo artists, mime, comedy, dancers and much, MUCH more to keep you rocking throughout the day and night.”
Tanya is an avid traveller who is happiest when using her camera to discover what delights the world has to offer. She originates from Canada, currently makes her home in the Netherlands, and is on an everlasting journey to visit all corners of the world. 
