Hokitika Wild Food Festival

For about the last twenty years, the small town of Hokitika (population approximately 4,000) has hosted a Wild Food Festival. It is an opportunity to be different, audacious, bold and perhaps even a bit nutty. The venders compete for prizes in most outrageous food and costumes, and the people who attend try to be outrageous in their costumes as well. Needless to say, a fair amount of beer is consumed, making the various dishes go down a bit easier--at least initially.

There was also live music all day. Jon and I particularly liked a band led by a Maori who sang covers by Willie Nelson and Steve Earle. He also did an original version of Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl, with the last stanza going, "I kissed a sheep and I liked it." It was a fun day, even though Jon and I refrained from trying anything too creepy and we stayed quite sober throughout the event.

This vendor sold a BBQ sauce for game meats.

Festival attendees.

A chef cooking White Bait.

Yes. These women are selling desserts may from the unique
dairy product, cow colostrum.

Made us chuckle.

Jennifer has some Elderberry Tea from
Max of Where the Wild Things Are.

These goat ladies were selling goat cheese.
Not too risky to eat, but loved their costumes.

Cricket Hors d'Ourves

Chocolate Crickets

Fried Grubs. Yum!

Entrance to Hokitika's Beach

Kiwi Kalua

A Young Party Girl Dancing to the Music.

Mandolin Player in the Maori guy's Band

How to make a healthy milkshake!

Gut Rot Moonshine.
All tasters we saw did not handle it well.

Enough Said.

She was adorable.

Two PM and already a full day.

Wild Game Salami

We call them Rocky Mountain Oysters in America.
Here, the vender just shouted, "Sheep's Baaaawlls."

3 Rockin Women
Covering 60s Motown Songs.

The most outrageous...Stallion Semen Shots.
Too gross.

But this lady was very encouraging.

Happy butterflies.

White Bait (look like minnows) in pancake batter.

These worms look almost appetizing.