Adventurous souls flocked to Hokitika over the weekend for the annual Wildfoods Festival in Hokitika is is on the west coast of the Sourth Island. Delicacies on offer included huhu grubs, wasp larvae icecream, cucumber fish, sheep milk cheeses and wok fried clams, as well as that most famous of local fares – whitebait fritters. Governor-General Anand Satyanand was on hand to sample lamb’s testicle and he pronounced it “very nice”.

The festival was the brain child of Hokitika local Claire Bryant, who decided in 1990 to instigate the celebration of wild West Coast tastes. The first festival attracted just 1800 people, but by 2003 attendance peaked with 22,500. Numbers have since been capped at 15,000. And while the attraction for most is the opportunity to try some unusual cuisine, Wildfoods is also a place where local community groups and businesses can raise funds and profile their products.

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