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To say you'll simply dine on local cuisine at New Zealand's Treetops Lodge is an understatement. Maori chef Charles Royal is a celebrity in the eyes of Aotearoa locals, and when you sample his dishes at Treetops while on your medical job assignment in New Zealand, you'll quickly understand why. Royal is not the only mastermind behind the establishment's culinary expertise, and together, his team is a force of eco-loving champions.
With an emphasis on building a sanctuary rather than a lodge, the restaurant calls upon its natural surroundings to help maintain sustainability. With ponds aplenty and a vast expanse of lush forest that harvests a variety of endemic New Zealand wildlife and vegetation, the region helps provide all the Treetops chefs could ever need in their kitchen.
One chef, Eru Tutaki, enjoys incorporating historic tales into his presentation of each course, according to the New Zealand Herald.
"I have collected pikipiko, horopito and kawakawa from our native food trail near the lodge," he told a group at the lodge, as reported by the news source. "While I'm preparing your first course, I will entertain you with a song that talks about things in the forest that are precious in my Maori culture."
Whether you sample dishes featuring duck confit, trout and quail, or fresh vegetables picked by the in-house "Botanic Man," you can be comforted knowing that this facility and its impressive staff will likely endure for years to come because of its self-sustaining environment.