Rakiura Cooking Its Way Through Tourism Boom

Tokyo may be famed for its density of eateries, at 994 restaurants per 100,000 people – but it has nothing on a small island at the foot of New Zealand’s South Island, Ben Mack writes in a  travel piece published by The Guardian.

With seven places to eat regularly and a population of about 400 people, Stewart Island (also known as Rakiura) would have 1750 eateries per 100,000 people if it was a major international city. But for many locals, being in a tiny town at the bottom of the world is part of the charm, Mack writes.

As more and more tourists arrive, so do new residents looking to cater for them. Maggie George and Simon Moir are South Island transplants who opened The Snuggery café in 2022.

That tight-knit community is exactly what drew them to Stewart Island in the first place, George says. “It’s pretty special to have such an abundance of caring people in our lives.”

Original article by Ben Mack, The Guardian, September 16, 2023.