Travels to Zealong Tea Estate

If you have never visited Zealong Tea Estate just outside of Hamilton Central, you definitely should make an effort to do so.  It is New Zealand’s only commercial tea estate and has a dining restaurant, tea tour, high tea experience, and tea shop.

The tea walk is taken by a guide who explains the history of tea, and how tea is picked and processed whilst you can also see unique sculptures along the way.

Our team was lucky enough to experience a High Tea Experience which included a tea ceremony, and high tea culinary food. Unfortunately, as it was raining, we were unable to participate in the tea walk. The tea ceremony involves, tasting different teas with a guide who starts from the lightest all the way through to the darkest of teas. She prepares the pots and leaves to the right temperature and stewing time, then serves a taste of each one to each member of your group. Our group definitely had different opinions on which ones they liked.

The high tea was beautiful, there is a good mixture of sweets, savouries, and bao on the stand plus you get to choose what flavour of Zealong tea you want to have. If you like the tea flavour you choose, then you can stop by the shop afterward and purchase it in a variety of sizes. They also have teapots and cups plus vouchers.