18 Aug 2023
I signed up for the Kai Safari tour as I was looking for a edgy, relevant food tour that would give me a good overview of Christchurch. Didn’t disappoint I got a lot more than I expected l. Rawai was my guide, he wqs punctual. It was winter so, slower in terms of tourism, and I was the only one. And tour was still kept on and I appreciated that. This is a lot more than a ‘food tour’ you got a real insight into Christchurch history and it’s growth in the recent years from a Māori lens. It’s very apparent that this new dynamism came from what the city had to endure in the earthquake over the years.
After one night, you didn’t just get a sense of christchurch the food scene but also who Rawai and his wife Cate and where their passion came from starting this business, they are very big advocates for Māori history, and the growth and progress as a community. It was nice breaking bread trading travel stories and life stories.
The food was very good, if you wanted a quick overview of the food scene and recommendations, this was one way to do it. Really good food at King of the Snake and Wine Cellar, he’s got a good heartbeat on the food scene. Rawai and Cate are proponents of trying as many places so they can add recommendations to the tour.
There was supposed to be one more stop, but I was crashing out from jet lag and so full! The benefit of this is you get to try small plates from multiple good places in one night, good if you don’t have that much time in a city. Rawai was also kind enough to walk me back to my city fringe hotel as he wanted to make sure I got back safe at night. Appreciate him looking out! Very good first night here in NZ, thank you for hosting me, I had a blast !