<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Many thank to all of you who respond to my post regarding GF touring New
Zealand. Here is the summary:


People are amazingly aware of the GF diet down there.


Apparently Air NZ do GF meals that are unusually good.


I found New Zealand to be the most celiac-friendly country on the
planet.. Nearly everyone seems to know about it. Kiwi's are some of the
nicest, most accommodating people on earth. Just tell them your problem
and prepare to be served.


Provided you check carefully ingredient lists on packages and state at
restaurants that you require gluten and wheat free meals (make sure you
also specify wheat free!) you should be OK.


Be aware also that in Australia and New Zealand we have cornflour that
*can* contain gluten, so always have that checked out.

You should find being gluten free in NZ relatively straightforward.

Most restaurants will have a good appreciation of CD and should be able
to provide a gluten-free meal. If you want takeaways, you may not find
as wide a choice.

Some supermarkets have a good range of gluten-free food, in particular
try Big Fresh and some New World . You won't usually find it in a
separate section though. If you want cookies, look with the other
cookies and biscuits. Arnotts make some rice cookies. You will find
things like rice cakes and rice biscuits in most supermarkets. Some will
also sell GF bread. You may have to look in the health food or organic
section for this. NZ has quite a few specialty health food shops. Most
will have GF foods, but they can be expensive sometimes.


Most motels and hotels in New Zealand have a little kitchen incase you
feel like cooking.


You many want to have a look at the New Zealand Therapeutic Database

(http://www.nztd.co.nz/index.html).

A wheat-free list (http://www.nztd.co.nz/wheat/wheat.html

and a gluten-free list (http://www.nztd.co.nz/gluten/gluten.html)


There is a fantastic gluten-freebakery in Auckland called MARX Designer
Bread and Patisserie, 2B Ridell Rd, St Helliers, Auckland ph 5754472.
Most Big Fresh and Woolworths supermarkets do gluten-free breads Most
restaurants are really good about you bringing your own breads/pizza
bases etc along.


In the supermarkets you can get the usual stuff like GF bread mixes and
cereals. There are health shops- Huckleberry Farms in Greenlane (central
Ak) ph 6308857 which have everything. GF bread: Marx bakery in St.
Heliers ph 575 4472, Momata(?)bakery in Grey Lynn.


The NZ GF commercial food list is handy and put together by Auckland
hospital. Email- [log in to unmask] Website- www.nztd.co.nz


The restaurants at the Skytower (Cosmo?) (Tallest building in Southern
hemisphere) have specific GF meals. The NZ Celiac Society cotact pepole
who presumably know a fair bit regarding bakeries & restaurants: From
North to south Whangarei- jacjie Gabolinscy 4352151, Auckland- maxine
5767943, Tauranga- les sweetman 425 9441, Hamilton- Karen mead 843 3335,
Rotorua- 348 5889, Napier/Hastings- Diane mucalo 877 2148 (Diane was
kind enough to send me lists of places, in her are, to eat, to buy bread
and meat) lee underwood 834 0433, Wellington- gaynor tinker 586 1505,
Nelson- Anne mitchell 547 6929, ChCh Natalie 3320062, Dunedin- Elaine
McDonald 488 3601.


It is very easy to get hold of all sorts of gluten free products at most
health food shops. Aussie manufacturer of Wallaby yoghurt nut and fruit-
[log in to unmask] of NZ Ltd, produce excellent gf flour-
Tel: 09 573 3730. Dovedale foods of Nelson produce wonderful gf flour-
[log in to unmask]

Regards,

Eilon