Marlborough Greenshell Mussels

The green-lipped mussel is found only in New Zealand, and most of what is eaten here or exported comes off longlines strung through the Marlborough Sounds, particularly Pelorus Sound out of Havelock, a small town at the head of the water that calls itself the mussel capital. The shells are large, with a green rim, and the meat is plump and mild rather than briny. They are usually steamed open with white wine and garlic, sometimes smoked, sometimes battered. Boat trips from Havelock run out among the farms, which show up as long parallel rows of black buoys in bays that are otherwise steep bush and empty water.

What you actually see

• The longline farms - rows of buoys across the sheltered arms of Pelorus Sound.
• Steamed pots - the standard preparation, opened over wine and garlic.
• Smoked mussels - the other local form, sold by the pottle to take away.
• Havelock harbour - the marina, the barges and the working end of the industry.

When to go

Mussels are farmed and available year-round, so there is no season to time. Boat trips through the Sounds run mainly from October to April and depend on the weather. Havelock is quietest midweek. Summer brings the Sounds' holiday traffic, which fills the town's limited beds and stretches the water taxi timetables.

Honest expectations

The farms are industrial, and rows of black buoys across a bush-lined bay strike some visitors as spoiling exactly the view they came for. Big farmed mussels can be chewier than small wild ones. They cost almost nothing in a supermarket and a great deal on a plate. Havelock is a service town with limited options and a lot of passing traffic.

Nearby

Picton and the Queen Charlotte Track lie east; Nelson is about an hour west along the coast road.