Dining

Kiwi Cuisine

The food at Owen River Lodge could best be described as stunning.

Naturally, all the meals are included in our nightly tariff.

We use the freshest of local produce, our large lodge garden, tended according to organic principles, supplies the kitchen with produce every day and is backed up by daily deliveries of fresh fruit and vegetables grown in the Nelson region.

When it comes to seafood, nearby Nelson has a thriving fishing industry, so what they catch on Monday we serve at the lodge on Tuesday!

Local ingredients, international influences

The Nelson/Tasman region has changed from principally a farming community to one where tourism plays a significant part.

Murchison is renowned for its trout fishing, tramping, hunting, rafting and white-water kayaking, and visitors come from all over the world. These days, if you walk down the main street or into the local pub, you’re as likely to hear a Swedish, Aussie or American accent as a Kiwi one!

Our gastronomy has also evolved, and while nearly everyone really enjoys classical South Island dishes like roast lamb, it’s also fun to occasionally surprise our guests with culinary ideas from Asia and Europe.

New Zealand’s unique cuisine has grown from a fusion of highly distinct cultures - Māori, Polynesian, Asian and every kind of European. We call this multicultural food style, Pacifica.

Whatever the menu, it doesn’t hurt that the world-famous Marlborough wine district is just over the hill, so we can be confident you’ll enjoy your meal with a nice glass or two of premium-quality local wine.

Every day is a feast

Breakfast is as light or complete as you like it. Choose from fresh fruit salad, our own lodge- made muesli/granola (following a secret recipe that’s been handed down by four generations of gypsies) and fresh yoghurt, jams and marmalade – again, made at the lodge when our fruit trees provide us with their bounty — and free range eggs from organically-fed chickens cooked any way you like!

Lunch is served either on the river or at the kitchen bar if you’re not fishing, and tends to be a picnic-style sandwich or roll served with lodge-baked biscuits – it’s a real feed, not just a snack.

Dinner, which is a 4-course affair, is served table d’hôte style with all guests seated around a communal table.

Enjoy pre-dinner nibbles by the bar, sharing the day’s adventures with other guests. Then, after a day walking and fishing, we know you’re going to look forward to a great meal. View a sample menu.

We cater for you, so please let us know if you have special dietary requirements.

Lodge Garden

At various times of the season our garden produces beans, spring onions/scallions, a huge variety of lettuces, tomatoes, snow peas, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, watercress, silverbeet, rhubarb, raspberries, strawberries, apples, grapes and currants.

Our herb gardens provide us with some of our own basil, garlic, onions, parsley, sage, thyme, mint, chives, fennel and rosemary. In this way, we can ensure there’s something on the table every night direct from the garden.

Food always tastes better when it was growing 30 seconds before being used in the kitchen!

The Finest Wines

The Nelson/Marlborough area produces world-class wines. Indeed, we’d venture to suggest that the area produces the best Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in the world. Our wine list features wines from both local boutique and internationally-recognised vineyards.

Our house wines, which are included in our tariff, are primarily from Neudorf, a Nelson vineyard which is indisputably one of the New Zealand’s leading wine producers. Have a look at our wine list here

Contact us

Mar 21 2022

Felix, Kylie, Ryan and Chris did a fantastic job looking after us. Lodge is in a perfect spot, great accommodation, food to die for and excellent fishing with Chris. Highly recommended… Read more

Stu: Auckland New Zealand: TripAdvisor

Mar 30 2022

After a two year holiday hiatus, escaping to Owen River Lodge was simply brilliant! Felix, Kylie, Ryan and Jo looked after us so well and treated us like friends rather than guests.… Read more

Wayne & Cheryl: Cambridge, New Zealand : TripAdvisor

Awards & acknowledgements

Owen River Lodge NZ: “Fly fishing at its very best”

Ph: +64 3 523 9075 Address: Owen Valley East Road, Murchison, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand

Email: fish@elevenangling.com