Ad Sintenie (left), yoghurt maker at Clearwater's Organic Dairy at Peel Forest; Bryan Clearwater; and Jane McKenzie from South Canterbury Tours. Also add Noodles the cow and some of examples of the best yoghurt on the planet.
South Canterbury Tours is a home-based tourism business based around Woodbury, show-casing the cuisine tourism of South Canterbury. It was set up this year by Jane McKenzie and Keith Tyler-Smith. Tours are by arrangement and involve hands-on cuisine tourism activities such as picking fruit, cheese and chocolate-making workshops, and visits to other regional food producers such as Talbot Forest Cheeses. www.southcanterburytours.co.nz

Albert, putting the hours behind the counter at Mercer Cheeses - the culinary ‘must stop’ south of Auckland off SH1. Set up in early 1980s, The racks towering behind the counter are loaded with cheese wheels covering the gambit of Dutch favourites – gouda, cumin, edam and nettle, accompanied by a few Kiwi flavours such as smoked bacon (local Pokeno bacon of course). The extra mature gouda with cumin was named champion cheese at the 2009 Cuisine Champions of Cheese Awards. Always a service smile, always a free sample, and always some tasty little other imported Dutch confectionary or biscuit treat to buy off its cluttered shelves. Open six days from 10am to 5pm. 

Sam Day from Kahurangi Estate at one of the summer Auckland Fish Market’s ‘night markets’ held every Thursday night (5pm-9pm) at 22 Jellicoe Street, the Viaduct, Auckland.
Free samples are one of the attractions of the ‘night market’ programme, and Sam was giving away samples of the winery’s fabulous pinot gris wine with its slug of gewürztraminer, which gives the wine an Alsace-like flavour.
Located in the village of Upper Moutere, not far from Nelson, the winery also produces sauvignon blanc, riesling, gewurztraminer, chardonnay, pinot noir and montepulciano. This is one of the original vineyards set up in the Nelson region in the early 1970’s (and the name was changed to Kahurangi Estate in 1998).

Workman’s café in Matamata is an essential stop for both the well-heeled locals re-fueling up on its all-day breakfast (and between the farms and the engineering businesses – this village is not short of dough) and travellers taking the alternative route to SH1 south of Hamilton.
The eclectic décor and menu reflects its eclectic owner-operator Syd Workman who moved to the township and opened his café in 1994. “I came here with nothing and the town has supported me. Matamata people are very loyal customers. This town is very supportive of itself.” And cuisine tourists from all over the country and world support you too mate. Located at 52 Broadway, Matamata.

The amazing entrance as seen from the inside of Cloudland which opened in March 2009 and built from scratch on a Brisbane inner city site that was once a gravel car park. With a glass retractable roof, 5000 plants climbing and sprawling over a 14 metre interior wall, a 10 metre waterfall and imaginative pieces like a solid hand carved ‘china white’ marble bar and a glass bar made from 17,000 glass balls threaded by hand, it’s a place like no other in Brisbane, or Australasia for that matter.
The mostly organic menu offers tapas from 11am-11pm, and an à la carte menu for lunch and dinner. Located at 641 Ann Street in Fortitude Valley (closed to the city end). www.cloudland.tv

Sonia and Laurent (pictured at the Howick village market) bring a French flair to a number of markets around Auckland with their gourmet delicacies made with love and passion. Among these finely made, and authentic, French patisseries are exotic tasting tartelettes, pates de fruit, French-style gateaux and the most dainty and flavoursome macarons de Paris. And you must try the green tea and lemon ones.

Perfect for any special occasion or gift, you can find more about the cuisine from this French connection at www.vaniye.com

The Gun Shop Café at 53 Mollison Street in Brisbane’s West End (not far from South Bank in the CBD) is one of those award winning Aussie café-restaurants that should be on your cuisine tourism map of the city. The atmosphere, informal charm, enticing aromas and sharp service at the ‘Gunshop’ (it used to be an old gun shop), was named one of the top 20 restaurants for an Aussie breakfasts by Gourmet Traveller this year www.thegunshopcafe.com

Bretts Wharf Restaurant over looking the Brisbane River at Hamilton (between the city and the airport) is a cuisine tourism must for any Kiwi seafood lovers. Chef Alastair McLeod, when not hosting TV cooking shows, is passionate about seasonal produce (and is almost obsessive about heritage tomatoes). This is also one Queensland venue proud to serve the state’s excellent wines, including wines from Symphony Hill wines, a family vineyard in Queensland’s Granite Belt.  www.brettswharf.com.au

Marty is best known to TV viewers as a beloved character and finalist (second) on Australia’s Biggest Loser. Once tipping the scales at over 160kg, Marty has always used his sharp humour to good effect as a tourism coach driver and tour guide in Queensland. Working with Micat - Moreton Island, Marty manages a number of different activities on this large sand island off the Brisbane coast – from 4WD eco tours to dune sandboarding and guided snorkelling of the Tangalooma Wrecks – with an optional picnic lunch. He’s pictured cooking up a sizzle for Foodstyle Review on the island just before Christmas. www.micat.com.au