High tech, no keys and stylish, New Zealand’s first fully ‘smart’ hotel has opened its doors in the heart of Queenstown

A first in New Zealand and in the world, the new mi-pad Queenstown is described as a next generation, energy-conscious hotel experience for the smart traveller bringing together technology, sustainability, comfort and convenience.

The six-storey hotel features 57 stylish rooms with the latest in-room tech, multiple ‘social spaces’ and an impressive rooftop terrace.

And the key to mi-pad Queenstown is that there is no key.
 

Guests booking their stay download the hotel’s personal app ‘mia’ and their smartphone becomes a room key, meaning physical check ins (or check outs) are a thing of the past.
 

Mia also has a range of other tricks up her sleeve, with the app enabling guests to set temperatures and mood lighting in their room (even remotely), request room service or alert hotel staff that they don’t want to be disturbed.

Access to the hotel is available 24/7 thanks to the technology. Once guests are settled in, mia transforms into a personal digital concierge, delivering the latest information on events, activities or offers and encouraging them to experience the best of this popular year-round alpine destination.

Guests can have as much or as little interaction with mi-pad staff and other guests as they like, including the option to share experiences, photos or messages through mia’s private chat group.

A floor-to-ceiling ‘social wall’ in the hotel’s entrance lobby also features mia’s latest updates and guests shared experiences.

The $15m John Blair-designed hotel is in the heart of Queenstown, less than a two-minute walk from the centre with its hundreds of bars, restaurants and activity operators set on the shores of stunning Lake Wakatipu. 

Although there are snacks and breakfast options available within the hotel, mi-pad’s owners made a conscious decision to keep F&B services to a minimum to encourage guests to savour the town’s renowned eateries.

But if they prefer to order-in or BYO, the hotel’s best kept secret is its huge rooftop terrace with an outdoor fireplace, plentiful seating and wraparound 270-degree views of Lake Wakatipu and surrounding mountains.

The terrace is exclusively available to guests and is the perfect spot to enjoy an outdoor dining experience or luscious wine with some of the best views in town.

The mi-pad hotel concept is the brainchild of Queenstown property developer Lewis Gdanitz and is the fruition of three years of hard work.

“mi-pad is the result of 15 years of research, travelling the world and finding the places that did accommodation really well,” Gdanitz says.

“We’ve been able to deliver a property that’s unlike anything else on offer in New Zealand, operating on a premise of affordable luxury delivered using the latest technology. I’m also very proud of the eco-conscious initiatives we have in place for every aspect of the operation.”

MIPAD Holdings Ltd is a joint venture between Lewis and experienced hotel investment and development company TJK NZ Ltd, owner of luxury boutique hotels The George in Christchurch and Regent of Rotorua.

Hotel manager Kylie Hogan says mi-pad offers “an innovative, connected hotel experience for smart travellers who’d prefer to spend their hard-earned dollars on experiences rather than pay over the odds for accommodation. Mia’s the key to all of that, the complete package for guests who want to have fun like a local.”

The hotel hasn’t forgotten the basics of ensuring guests get a great night’s sleep, with Queen beds, clever storage options, smart TV’s and bathrooms featuring organic products and top-of-the-line hair styling tools.  

 Wellington on a Plate (WOAP), an annual food festival in Wellington, New Zealand is a winter-warming two-week extravagance of all things food and beverage. The festival glorifies gastronomic delights with the tastiest foods from all over the region. Visa Wellington On a Plate is organized across various venues in Wellington from 10-26 August 2018.

This year at the festival, delicacies from across India were introduced by The Temple Celebration at the One80 restaurant in collaboration with Nalini Baruch, co-owner, Lot Eight, a home-grown enterprise dealing in premium virgin extra olive oils. She was accompanied by Chetan Pangam, Executive Chef, One80 Restaurant (Copthorne Hotel Wellington).  With origins in Karnataka, Chetan worked as a chef at some of the most luxurious hotels in Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi before bringing the flavours of India to New Zealand in 2002.

Nalini Baruch and chef, Chetan paying their respects to Lord Ganesha. PC- Tourism New Zealand 

Nalini Baruch, born in a deeply religious and culturally rich Indian family, has an elevated outlook on diversity and culture with a holistic view of religions in India.

The Temple Celebration was Nalini’s effort to introduce an experience and a new dimension to WOAP events on its 10th anniversary. She says, “The idea was to provide a taste of India and to build on this concept for the future, to bring different aspects of what makes India such an attractive country.”

The entire festivities were an amalgamation of culture and cuisine, incorporating traditional aspects into the contemporary setting. The food serving style and presentation by Chetan embraced some of the temple practises inspired from across North, South, East, West and Central India.

Chetan says, “My team of chefs that helped me create the magic come from a varied background. True to our ethos of progressive Indian French cuisine, the delicacies were prepared using some of the best ingredients from New Zealand.”

Nalini Baruch of Lot Eight is a pioneer in the New Zealand olive oil industry and co-owner of arguably the leading producer of olive oil in the Greater Wellington Region. She was awarded the 2016 Pacific Woman in Business Award at the National Pacific Business Trust Awards dinner in Auckland. She is recognised for her vision and unwavering adherence to her own values of quality, customer and supplier commitment, integrity and professionalism.

A young artist seen performing an elegant Bharatnatyam dance. PC- Tourism New Zealand 

Today, Wellington dubbed the world’s ‘coolest little capital’ continues to have a strong Indian community which is seen through participation in local sport, music, art and varied range of cultural festivals. Almost 10% of Wellington residents are Indian, meaning the city has the second biggest Indian population in New Zealand.

Visa Wellington on A Plate is an immaculate platform for food enthusiasts to showcase their passion and create traditional yet urbane cuisines to the Wellington community. Visitors also get to experience a smorgasbord of tastes, experiences and innovations in the heart of the city of Wellington.

Additional Information

Tourism New Zealand markets New Zealand to the world as a visitor destination. In the year ending May 2018, 3.8 million international visitors arrived in New Zealand: an increase of 5.3% on the previous year. International tourism is New Zealand’s largest earner of foreign exchange, pumping over $14.5 billion into the economy and directly employing over 188,000 people. www.tourismnewzealand.com

Visa procedure: One may forward their application to the TT office in Mumbai or Delhi, which will then be directed to Immigration New Zealand. A visitor visa for New Zealand is processed within 15 working days. www.immigration.govt.nz

Indian leisure travellers can benefit from a faster processing time of three days when applying for their visa via one of the Tourism Industry Partnership (TIP) Programme agents: Thomas Cook (India) Pvt. Ltd, SOTC Travel Limited, Cox & Kings Ltd. and Kulin Kumar Holidays.

Airline connections: Connecting flights to New Zealand are available on Singapore Airlines/Air New Zealand, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines with stop-overs in their respective hubs.  New Zealand’s international gateways are Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Domestic services: You can fly between all New Zealand cities and most major towns using domestic air services. Air New Zealand and Jetstar are the main providers. Their services are complemented by regional airlines, charter companies and scenic flight operators.

For more information, kindly check:

• Website: newzealand.com/in

Kingfish, Scampi.

Chef and restaurateur Sid Sahrawat reveals a bold new menu direction for his award-winning fine dining establishment, Sidart, located in the heart of the city of Auckland, New Zealand.

The reinvented menu continues to showcase best of New Zealand’s produce, but in a contemporary Indian format that is a more formal and precise execution of the cuisine currently offered at the popular sister restaurant, Cassia.

Inspired by the diversity of India’s regional cuisines, spices and flavours, the menu elegantly fuses locally sourced produce, with Sahrawat’s attention to detail evident at every turn. His love for his hometown and his childhood memories serve as an influence in his latest menu evolution.

The new dishes are imbued with the creative, mouth-watering flair diners have come to expect from Sahrawat’s kitchen and team of talented chefs. The new menu offering includes (but is not limited to) kingfish, scampi, cultured cream, daikon; hapuka, mustard seeds, tamarind, almond; pork jowl, butternut, wild garlic, Goan flavours and for a sweet finish, green apple, saffron, dill, passionfruit.

Sahrawat says, “The evolution at Sidart reflects my identity as a chef, the journey growing up in India to starting my first restaurant Sidart nine years back. Its new reincarnation showcases my metamorphosis from an Indian chef cooking kiwi food to a kiwi chef who incorporates his love for Indian flavours with his passion for Kiwi produce.”

Sid combines his famous revolutionary skills and comprehensive precision to create art on a plate with the menu depending upon the seasons and availability from all of New Zealand’s sourced produce. He is extremely passionate in his kitchen to the point of obsession and has worked hard to make the Sidart experience

accessible and personal for diners.

About SIDART: SIDART, is an amalgamation of cutting-edge flavor combinations, textural contrasts and inspired visual composition to make his cooking, both, thought provoking and intensely satisfying.

The Auckland- based chef aims to provide ‘inspirational dining’ as it is one of the country’s most exciting talents. Sid Sahrawat, was also awarded ‘Best Chef and Best Restaurateur’. It swept away the ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ by Metro Peugeot Restaurant of the Year Awards and received 3 hats awarded by the Cuisine Good Food Guide.

SIDART, is an iconic establishment that offers contemporary New Zealand cuisines and showcases a palatable reincarnation from an Indian chef that incorporates his love for Indian flavours with his passion for Kiwi produce.

From small beginnings Visa Wellington On a Plate is now one of the most anticipated events on New Zealand’s foodie calendar

 From small beginnings in 2009, Visa Wellington On a Plate is now one of the most eagerly anticipated events on New Zealand’s foodie calendar. This year marks the event’s 10 year anniversary and the party starts on August 10 when New Zealand’s capital dishes up hundreds of burgers, cocktails, festival dishes and a huge array of events over 17 days to celebrate a decade of this annual food festival.

Festival favourites Burger Wellington and Cocktail Wellington return where diners vote on their favourite burger and drink at participating restaurants. This year sees 180 burgers and 63 cocktails entered from across the region all battling for the ultimate bragging rights.

Arguably the most popular event Beervana will take place on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 August. Westpac Stadium is turned into a beer-lovers paradise with special one-off beer creations from Wellington, New Zealand, and international brewers all served with amazing food to match.  

International guests are always are draw card and 2018 is no different. The Chef Collaboration Series will play host to international chef’s including Hayden McMillan of Melbourne’s Etta, LA’s Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley, Sydney’s Dan Hong of Mr Wong and Ms G’s and London’s celebrated chef, Anna Hansen of The Modern Pantry.

By the numbers

In the last 10 years Wellington On a Plate has continued to grow from 30 events and 43 dine menus in 2009 to 148 events and 100 dine menus in 2018. During the 2017 festival 112,000 burgers were consumed as part of the event Burger Wellington and they were served with 67,000 matching Garage Project beers a 36% increase on the 2016 event.

During the month of August international visitors, particularly Australian visitors to Wellington increases year on year. Visa WOAP merchants averaged an increase of 41% in sales during the event when compared to the pre-event period.
In 2018 there is a total of 148 events, 180 burgers, 63 cocktails, 100 dine menus, and 267 hospitality businesses taking part.

Top five 2018 festival picks

Mad Hatter's Tea Party with a Twist: Dive through the rabbit hole and be transported to a magical otherworldly space. Let your taste buds be tickled by tremendously absurd high tea-style delights, including a teapot cocktail on arrival, not-your-usual club sandwiches, and champagne jellies.

Welcome to Valhalla: Eat to excess and enjoy an evening of whole beasts in viking-style frivolity. Imagine tables dripping with plentiful rustic dishes, whole fish, goblets of wine, and tankards of beer and mead.

Hiakai Hāngi: A traditional hāngi but not as you know it. Five top Kiwi and international chefs and foodies will gather around the hāngi pit in a celebration of Polynesian culture. Featuring Michael Meredith, Ron Finley, Morgan McGlone, James Knappett, led by Wellington's own Monique Fiso.

The Progressive Herbivore: Olive chefs present a four-course exploration of vegan and plant-based ingredients. They will showcase dishes and drink matches made from vibrant seasonal produce manipulated in creative ways, including dehydration and fermentation.

Rimutaka Prison Gate To Plate: An opportunity to enjoy a truly exceptional culinary experience behind bars, with all food prepared and served by prisoners at Rimutaka Prison. Renowned chef Martin Bosley returns to mentor the prisoners, along with chefs, Monique Fiso and Shepherd Elliott, who will bring their unique style to the canapés and three-course menu.

Green and Gold Paani Puri Recipes by Zespri

Green and Gold Paani Puri Recipes by Zespri

A deliciously fruity twist on an old street food favorite that highlights the delightfully different flavor profiles of the Green and Sungold Kiwifruit.

Ingredients

For Green Paani

6 Zespri Green Kiwifruit, roasted, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 cup coriander leaves, chopped fine

1⁄2 cup Mint leaves, chopped fine

1⁄2 inch piece Ginger

1⁄2 tsp Black peppercorns

1 tsp Cumin seeds toasted

1⁄2 tsp Black salt (kala namak)

4 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Chaat Masala

Salt to taste

1 lemon, Juice of

Ice cubes to chill

For Sungold Paani

6 Sungold Kiwifruit, roasted, peeled and coarsely chopped

A Few threads fof saffron

1⁄2 inch piece Ginger

1 tsp Cumin seeds toasted

1/2 tsp Black salt (kala namak) 1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp chaat masala

Salt to taste

1 lemon, Juice of

For the filling

Sungold & Green Kiwifruit, chopped- 1 cup

Black chana, boiled- 1 cup

Puris- as required

Method

For the Green Paani

Place black peppercorns, cumin seeds, black salt, sugar and salt in a blender and powder. Add kiwifruit, coriander, mint, ginger, lemon juice and blend to a coarse puree. Add 1 cups chilled water and blend once more into a fine puree. Strain into a jug. Add a few ice cubes and keep refrigerated till needed.

For the Sungold Paani

Place black peppercorns, cumin seeds, black salt, sugar, salt and saffron in a blender and grind. Add the kiwifruit, ginger, lemon juice and blend to a coarse puree. and blend once more into a fine puree and strain into a jug. Add a few ice cubes and keep refrigerated till needed.

To assemble

Arrange puries in a large platter. Spoon the filling into each puri till 3⁄4 full.

Arrange shot glasses in a row alongside the puris. Fill alternate glasses with green and gold paani. Serve immediately.

Kiwifruit chuski Recipes by Zespri

Time: 25 minutes  Makes: 8 chuskis

Ingredients

8-10 Sungold Kiwifruit, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1⁄4 cup water

2 tbsp Zespri green Kiwifruit chunks

1 tbsp lemon juice (for the khatta)

Few ice cream sticks to prick

3 strands Saffron in warm water

Method

·         Place saffron sugar & water in a saucepan & stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves fully.

·         Remove from heat & cool.

·         Puree the Sungold Kiwifruit and lemon juice in blender.

·         Strain the puree to get a fine pulp.

·         Stir the puree into the sugar syrup and mix well.

·         Put the Green kiwifruit chunks at the bottom of shot glasses or popsicle tray and add the yellow

·         pulp on top and freeze.

·         When half frozen, insert a stick into each chuski and freeze completely.

About Zespri®:

The Zespri® brand is recognised as the world leader in premium quality kiwifruit–offering different

varieties such as Zespri® Green, Zespri® Gold, Zespri® SunGold, Zespri® Organic and Zespri® Sweet

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Green on shop shelves around the world.

Based in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, Zespri® is 100 percent owned by kiwifruit growers,

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employing over 500 people across New Zealand, Asia, Europe and North America. Zespri® is also a

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member of the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre (a collaboration between

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Government, industry and researchers) that is focused on helping protect and enhance the reputation

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f food produced by New Zealand and protect public health.

Keeping Natural breeding techniques at its core, Zespri® partners with Plant and Food Research

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using only natural plant crosses in what is the world’s largest kiwifruit breeding programme. (Natural

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plant breeding is a key long term driver of enhanced sustainability in growing methods and economic

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performance).

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