SOLD OUT – AGAIN!

THE SAD NEWS was if you didn’t buy your 2019 ticket early, then – so sad, too bad. You didn’t get to enjoy this Wild South foodie gem where Bluff, in this now iconic food
festival, showcases some of New Zealand’s most sought after delicacies this winter.
The well-wrapped hoards enjoyed the weather – sometimes as deliciously epic as
the event itself – with gusto and good spirits in a uniquely Southland flavoured party.
You didn’t get to taste the stars of the show – Bluff Oysters. You didn’t get to taste
the many treats complementing the sumptuous Bluff Oysters – not just a variety
of seafood such as crayfish, paua, scallops, salmon, blue cod, whitebait, but you also
didn’t get to taste the highly sought after local delicacy, mutton-bird (known by some
as ‘chicken fish’), or the venison, lamb, beef and pork.

THE SADDER NEWS is the 2020 Oyster festival is uncertain at this point after
receiving the news that the consent to demolish the venue was declined. The
organising committee is taking time to consider the liability of the volunteers in
relation to that decision before making any long term commitments.

But if the 2020 Oyster Festival does go ahead, you will need to keep sharply vigilant
to ensure you book early, because word has obviously got out – the Festival has become an annual sell-out event. It is just that cool!

THE GREAT NEWS is that Bluff is pretty much food heaven all year round, and the
locals are epic; a hidden gem to where this author can testify he has – on many
occasions, in every season – walked down to a pub for a beer, only to be hijacked by Bluff’s awesome (and mostly harmless) locals who love their food as much as any excuse for a party.Not only can I boast about being fed all that I’ve just described, but I have been generously treated to kina, freshly caught flounder (and even snapper), freshwater yabbies, Stewart Island salmon, green mussels and killer bar-b- ques created by kung fu crazy cooks who get their kicks out of kai.

I’ve dined on kumara bread, grain-fed chickens, fresh eggs, water cress and wild
pork, and treated to glasshouse-grown organic greens, wild tomatoes and Mexican
chilies, while the local cafes have great pies chock-filled with local fare all year round,
including a great restaurant at Stirling Point – Bluff Cover, a local bottle store with an
incredible vodka and gin selection (it is in a port town after all) and pretty damn good
fish ‘n’ chips to boot.

P.S. Bluff has some great accommodation venues and an increasing number of Airbnb
venues too. But again; book early as these fill up quickly too.