Taste of Auckland is an annual food and beverage convention. My colleagues had talked this event up, so I did not want to miss it this year. It is about 5 days long, from Wednesday-Sunday. There are different level passes you can buy, and the fare is valid for one day’s session. They start at entrance, go up to premium (which included a cup and a pre-loaded card of money) to VIP. We went for the premium pass and I would recommend that if you go.
This year the convention was located at Queen’s Wharf. It would have been a good location if it were not for the heavy winds on the day we went. The entire convention consisted of 2 sheds and a middle outdoor area connecting them. The Wharf is right on the water with great views of the city and Rangitoto. Being downtown, it is also easy for public transport.
It wasn’t too crowded, but there could have been more tables and chairs to sit and eat/drink whatever we bought. The event is called “Taste” because many companies, restaurants, vineyards or breweries give you a “taste” of their product. They also had small plates, or bigger pours, you could buy.
On top of fresh food, there were cheese, dessert and plant shops. They were selling their products at ‘market’ prices, but items were still quite expensive.
Each day had different bands playing, which was a draw for me. You could hear the music outside, and they had speakers for the inside sections of the convention.
There were a few events during Taste, including some cooking shows.
Overall, I felt the event was pretty pricey and I was not shown too many new brands or ‘tasting’ many different foods. Although we did buy some grocery items: flour, cheese, ketchup, I would not go to this event again.
TIP: Bring a bag so you can carry around all the items you buy!
Have you been to an event like this? What did you think?