Being Vegan in Auckland

Auckland, New Zealand

After spending 9 months in Central & South America where a large portion of the food options are deep fried, and very meat-heavy, I was excited to come to New Zealand where I imagined the food-culture to be a bit more appreciative of the vegan lifestyle. I’m happy to report that I was correct! Being vegan in Auckland is a breeze! Right in the central business district (CBD), one can find a plethora of fully vegan cafes & restaurants, as well as a variety of other places that are either vegetarian, or have at least one or two veg options. And that’s only in the CBD! Auckland is a very sprawled city, and there seems to be a veg cafe or sorts in every suburb. What I wasn’t expecting however, was the amazing vegan community here in Auckland! The Auckland Vegans Facebook page is extremely active with members asking & answering questions all the time. It is through this page that I found out about a few key events that have been highlights of my time here in Auckland so far.

World Vegan Day

World Vegan Day was on November 1st – did you celebrate?! To commemorate the occasion, about 200 people gathered in the Auckland Domain (one of Auckland’s biggest parks) for a vegan picnic. People sat in large groups and new friendships were formed over the sharing of food. This picnic-turned-pot luck event only got better as over 40 vegan pizzas were delivered courtesy of Hell Pizza (a popular pizza chain in NZ). All the pizzas were donated and they were DELICIOUS!! This was such a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Monthly Pot Luck Dinner

Every month, a pot luck dinner is held in Auckland and is open to anyone that wishes to join. The organizers ask that you give $5 to cover the cost of the rental space. I missed October’s dinner, but I made sure that I was present for November’s & December’s! Everyone that comes to the pot luck is asked to bring a dish that would feed more than yourself. December’s pot luck was Christmas themed, so anyone wishing to try out a new dish for upcoming family dinners could test it out on willing volunteers first!!

Over 150 people showed up to both events, and each time the dishes were out of this world! It was hard to not take a sample of everything! I didn’t want to gorge myself on the main courses, because I could see the desserts lurking in the kitchen. They did not disappoint! The main dessert theme of the November pot luck was CHOCOLATE! There were chocolate cakes, pies, chocolate mousse & pudding, as well as my personal favourite: chocolate chip cookies! Don’t worry though, some thoughtful person brought a fruit plate to compliment the sugar overload. December’s desserts were all about the fruit cakes, and mince pies. But there was also plenty of chocolate to go around!

Similar to the picnic, I met a lot of fabulous people and had some really awesome conversations. I’m so thankful that I’ve gotten involved in this wonderful community. I’ve made a few really great friends and I can’t wait to see what the new year holds!