Fish and Chips Tradition

The British takeaway arrived with British settlers and then changed. The fish is local - hoki, terakihi, gurnard, snapper, blue cod in the south - and shops name the species on the board rather than saying cod, which is a useful indicator of quality. Batter is thinner and lighter than the British version, chips are cut thicker, and the standard order includes things Britain does not have: paua fritters on the coast, mussel fritters, kumara chips, and hot dogs on sticks. Since the 1990s many shops have been run by Chinese or Cambodian families, and the good ones are usually the unmodernised ones with a queue and a handwritten board. The paper wrapping is part of it - the food is meant to be eaten within twenty minutes, from the paper, sitting somewhere outside, usually a beach, usually on a Friday.

What you actually see

• The named species - hoki, terakihi, gurnard, snapper, blue cod on the board.
• The local additions - paua and mussel fritters, kumara chips.
• The paper - wrapped, and meant to be eaten immediately.
• The Friday habit - the standard national takeaway night.

When to go

Any time; Friday evening is the tradition and also the busiest. Summer evenings on the beach are the point of it. Order and eat within twenty minutes.

Honest expectations

Quality varies wildly between shops. Newspaper wrapping is long gone for hygiene reasons - it is plain paper now. Portions are large. Seagulls at any beach are aggressive and organised.

Nearby

Coastal towns everywhere; blue cod is the southern speciality, snapper the northern one.