Crazy Pete’s cooking skills
Together with his wife Janine, Pete owns Wild Earth Lodge in Makarora. Janine is an architect and designed the lodge herself. During your stay, you can enjoy the views, the cosy atmosphere of the living room and, above all, Pete and Janine’s cooking.
How about fresh lamb straight from the grill, or roast chicken with salad and a good glass of wine? Pete has his own pizza oven and a Kiwi barbecue, which he uses to prepare some of the best dishes in Makarora or, according to many, even some of the tastiest food in New Zealand. A dinner with Pete begins with a “big toast” and the call, “Hook into it, mate!”
One of Pete’s specialities, and a New Zealand delicacy, is whitebait pancakes. These are made with tiny whitebait fish mixed with beaten egg. The fish come from the sea and migrate into New Zealand’s rivers, where locals head out to catch them during the short whitebait season each year.
Whitebait is not usually found in supermarkets and is often bought directly from those who catch it. Considered something of a delicacy, it can cost around seventy dollars per kilo. According to Pete, it is “delicious, very delicious”.
