New Zealand's finest cuisine

Visitors to Hokitika on New Zealand's South Island on March 11th may find they have bitten off more than they can chew.

Each year the second Saturday of March sees the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival, where local producers, community groups and suppliers congregate to offer the town a choice of unusual foodstuffs.

Sheep's eyes, bull's penis sausages, slugs and crickets are all on the menu, along with more traditional staples like mountain oysters and west coast whitebait.

"All west coasters enjoy food from the wild and appreciate its value as a means of survival," commented festival organiser Mike Keenan.

This year will be the 17th Wildfoods Festival, which will see Hokitaki's population swell threefold as the 18,000 ticket holders arrive in town.

The festival has won several major tourism industry awards in New Zealand, including the Innovations in Events category award last year.

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