A Slice of Kiwi Life: Shopping at a Dairy
What’s one thing you can find in every New Zealand town, no matter how small it is? A Dairy. Not the barn for milking cows kind of dairy; in New Zealand that’s what they call a small convenience store that sells sundries to the locals. Want to sound like a Kiwi? Call these stores Dairies! Dairies are so called such because they used to be affiliated with specific farms. The farms would sell their products at a local store and place their name on a placard outside the store. Gradually, these stores diversified to include many more products, and today are similar to a small 7-11 or gas station rest stop here in the U.S.
Dairies typically sell basic groceries, beverages, ice cream, local newspapers, lottery tickets, cigarettes, and if you’re lucky enough to be in a fishing town, live bait in the form of nightcrawlers or crickets. Plus, Dairies always, always, always carry several varieties of meat pies, which are essentially a hand-held pocket of pastry stuffed with a meat filling such as beef, lamb or other savory flavors. A carry-over from their British colonial days, these meat pies are a staple of any proper New Zealander’s diet. They’re usually displayed on a rack with shelves in individual packaging, just like Ho-Ho’s or Ding Dongs in the US. Where we might snack on something sweet and/or chocolaty washed down with a Coke; a proper snack in New Zealand might be a pork meat pie and a cup of tea with milk.
Dairies can be found in cities (what few exist) and at the intersections of major roads, but they have the most influence in smaller towns and rural areas where the majority of New Zealanders live and there may not be a large supermarket within an hour’s drive. You might even be able to find a few Dairies that try to differentiate themselves by offering a liquor license or in rare cases -- fried food. The strangest thing I ever saw in a Dairy in New Zealand was a deep fried Mars candy bars. That doesn’t whet your appetite? They were also selling deep fried pickles, in case you wanted a savory appetizer instead.
Dairies are a unique New Zealand institution that are worth visiting -- even with the live crickets. Working with Down Under Endeavours, you’ll learn to shop like a local even when you are far, far away from home.
Clieck here to learn more about New Zealand's hidden gems?
Read some of our traveler's stories about New Zealand
A postcard from a client who lived in New Zealand for a month
Dairies typically sell basic groceries, beverages, ice cream, local newspapers, lottery tickets, cigarettes, and if you’re lucky enough to be in a fishing town, live bait in the form of nightcrawlers or crickets. Plus, Dairies always, always, always carry several varieties of meat pies, which are essentially a hand-held pocket of pastry stuffed with a meat filling such as beef, lamb or other savory flavors. A carry-over from their British colonial days, these meat pies are a staple of any proper New Zealander’s diet. They’re usually displayed on a rack with shelves in individual packaging, just like Ho-Ho’s or Ding Dongs in the US. Where we might snack on something sweet and/or chocolaty washed down with a Coke; a proper snack in New Zealand might be a pork meat pie and a cup of tea with milk.
Dairies can be found in cities (what few exist) and at the intersections of major roads, but they have the most influence in smaller towns and rural areas where the majority of New Zealanders live and there may not be a large supermarket within an hour’s drive. You might even be able to find a few Dairies that try to differentiate themselves by offering a liquor license or in rare cases -- fried food. The strangest thing I ever saw in a Dairy in New Zealand was a deep fried Mars candy bars. That doesn’t whet your appetite? They were also selling deep fried pickles, in case you wanted a savory appetizer instead.
Dairies are a unique New Zealand institution that are worth visiting -- even with the live crickets. Working with Down Under Endeavours, you’ll learn to shop like a local even when you are far, far away from home.
Clieck here to learn more about New Zealand's hidden gems?
Read some of our traveler's stories about New Zealand
A postcard from a client who lived in New Zealand for a month
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