So because I loved tasting Aussie candy and snack food so much, I really wanted to try some Kiwi snack food when I was in New Zealand. Specifically, CookieTime cookies, which a couple friends and told me about. When one of our tour guides asked it we wanted to do anything else before we went to our hotel, I asked if we could stop at a convenience store for some cookies! Our guide loved this idea and was nice enough to help us pick out some other classic kiwi snacks. My mom and sister got really into it, but no so much my dad, haha. We ended up with some CookieTime cookies (above), which were yummy. I tend to like my cookies a little softer, but they tasted really good. My favorite thing was the BumperBar, which is also made by CookieTime, but has fruit and chocolate in it. I liked these better because they were chewy and had fresh fruit in them!! The banana ones were amazing!!!
My sister's favorite thing was the Pineapple Lumps. I had totally forgotten that I tried these in Australia. I didn't love them because I had been expecting something else when I tried them. My sister pointed out that they were like pineapple Charleston Chews, and she love love loved them. I like them just fine now that I think of them that way. Also apparently they are much bigger in NZ than Oz, so it was nice to try them there.
We didn't get to try Hokey Pokey Ice Cream, which is also supposed to be huge in New Zealand, but hopefully we'll be back someday and can try it then :) Eating gourmet abroad is fun, but trying classic junk food also gives you a unique taste of the culture, and is a super fun way to explore a country. It is now on my list of things to make sure I do whenever I'm somewhere new!
