There are a handful of small and extremely special towns in New Zealand, laced with history. Arrowtown, Martinborough and Russell spring to mind straight away. But could Akaroa be at the top of this list?

This quaint waterfront township with colonial architecture is perfectly protected from the Southern Ocean by its harbour, which is the caldera of an ancient volcano. A stark geographic contrast to the rest of the region – it’s almost an island wedged between the end of the Canterbury Plains and the sea – it’s unique and beautiful, even by New Zealand’s own high standards.

We are in this slice of kiwiana paradise to meet Nik Mavromatis from Akaroa Salmon and to film our fourth series of A New Zealand Food Story which will air on TVNZ1 in June 2025.

The boring powers that be say it’s too early for a TV spoiler alert and for me to tell you about all the great things I learned with Nik while filming Akaroa’s superb salmon. But that doesn’t matter for this Cuisine story because so often in TV-making the real good stuff happens after the shoot. With the show in the can after 10 hours on the water, the film crew have patted themselves on the back and departed back to the motel. But the story is not over yet for Nik and I and we head down to his local for a few quiet ambers. There, without the pressure of a camera poking in our faces, we connect like normal people. This is a special moment between the chef, the supplier and the location, and a chance to uncover the knowledge gold of our local ingredients and their stories.

Akaroa holds a special place in New Zealand’s history as the site of an attempted French settlement, Nik tells me. In 1838, a French whaling captain tried to buy Banks Peninsula and later arranged for a ship of colonists to sail over. But the British had staked their claim first, signing the Treaty of Waitangi at Ōnuku Marae on 30 May 1840 and raising the British flag just a week before the French settlers arrived. Despite this, the French settlers stayed on with their seeds and vines, and their influence remains strong today. You’ll see it in the local street names, all starting with ‘Rue’ and in the annual Akaroa French Festival.

The area’s unique microclimate was a draw for these French and German settlers from the Nantes-Bordelais company, and today this is showcased in great local wines, with standouts such as Caldera Estate and French Peak. The olive oils are just as impressive – keep an eye out for Robinsons Bay and other boutique producers. Akaroa’s food scene has long been a highlight, with popular restaurants such as Ma Maison and The Little Bistro. And if you’re just passing through, grab a croissant from A La Baguette or pick up some boudin noir from Akaroa Butchery for a true taste of what makes Akaroa unique in Aotearoa.

Listening to Nik, I realise this history and culture is what sets Akaroa town apart for me. My newly learned history lesson has unveiled a ‘what could have been’ moment for our country’s food. If Akaroa was the place where New Zealand almost became a part of the French colonial empire, could that have been a true Sliding Doors moment for our cuisine: what might our culture have been like today if the French had got in first all those years ago, with their proud repertoire of thousands of recipes?

As my mind continues to riff on the idea, I become slightly annoyed that the French didn’t try harder to get here a bit quicker – if only they hadn’t lingered on that last layover. Did their nonchalant 19th-century travel itinerary set in motion a chain reaction that led me to grow up with the dull and bland ‘meat and three’? For just a brief moment, I am disgusted: if the French could have just been on time, then maybe it could have been foie gras, beef bourguignon and lièvre à la royale.

I wake up to a sunny and windless morning in New Zealand’s own little French culinary capital – my imaginary winner of the Ben Bayly’s Best Small Town of the Year Award.

We have visited Akaroa, but none of my pub discoveries about the town’s history will make the TV series. Instead, I am grateful that this small town has left me with a burning question: What is the best way to capture our amazing New Zealand food story?

Series 4 of A New Zealand Food Story will air on TVNZ1 in June 2025.