Best Pies in New Zealand: 20 Must-Try Pie Shops on the Ultimate NZ Pie Trail (2026)

By My Big Road Trip · Updated October 2026

Looking for the best pies in New Zealand? You are in the right place. Pies are a national obsession, and the best pies in NZ are rarely found in fancy restaurants. They are in small-town bakeries, highway pie shops and suburban bakeries where the queue is out the door by 10am.

This guide pulls together 20 pie stops across both islands: the legendary road-trip icons (Fairlie, Arrowtown, Cromwell, Sheffield), plus the bakeries making headlines in the 2026 Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Awards, which marked its 30th year. For every stop you get the must-try pie, so you can walk in and order with confidence.

Quick answer: what is the best pie in New Zealand right now? The 2026 Supreme Pie Award went to the bacon and egg pie from Levain Artisan Bakery in Blockhouse Bay, Auckland, which earned a perfect score from the judges. But the best pie for your road trip depends on where you are driving, and that is what this trail is for.

The Best Pies in NZ at a Glance

How We Picked the Best Pies in New Zealand

No single list can settle a pie argument, so we used three filters: awards (recent Bakels Supreme Pie Awards results), road-trip reputation (the shops that travellers and locals keep recommending), and a signature pie worth stopping for. Pie shops change menus, owners and opening hours, so check hours before you drive out of your way.

The South Island Pie Trail

The South Island has what journalists have called a “pie belt” linking Darfield, Sheffield, Fairlie and Cromwell. It also has the best pie-and-scenery combinations in the country.

1. Fairlie Bakehouse, Fairlie (Mackenzie Country)

Must-try: Pork belly pie with apple sauce and crackling.

The bakery that put Fairlie on the map. It sits on State Highway 8, the road to Lake Tekapo, Twizel and Aoraki Mt Cook, and it has been reported to sell more than 2,000 pies a day in peak periods. The pork belly pie is the top seller and the one that travellers rave about: sweet apple, salty meat and a crackling top. If the queue is long, it moves fast. Many drivers buy a few extra for the Mackenzie Country road ahead.

2. Arrowtown Bakery, Arrowtown (Queenstown area)

Must-try: Venison, Thai green chicken or the classic steak and cheese. Add a bacon and egg butty if you are there for breakfast.

Locals and visitors alike call it one of the best little pie shops in the country. It is a hand-crafted, on-site operation on Buckingham Street in the heart of this gold-rush village, open seven days. Take your pie to the park or down by the river for the full Arrowtown experience, and get there early if you want a cream doughnut.

3. Sanga’s Pies, Cromwell (Central Otago)

Must-try: The Southlander.

The newest star on the South Island pie belt. Opened in 2021 by brothers Chris and Rob Sangster with their mate Miro Kollar, a chef from the Czech Republic, Sanga’s is built on high-grade ingredients and creative flavour combinations. If you are driving between Queenstown and Wānaka, or heading down to Alexandra and Dunedin, this is the lunch stop. Check the current address before you go.

4. Kai Pai Bakery, Wānaka

Must-try: Mince and cheese.

Kai Pai’s mince and cheese pie has been recognised at every Bakels Supreme Pie Awards since 2017, and the bakery took gold again in 2026 in the Commercial/Wholesale category. It is described as one of New Zealand’s most-awarded commercial pies, and it is the benchmark mince and cheese in the Southern Lakes.

5. Jimmy’s Pies, Roxburgh (Central Otago)

Must-try: Lamb shank.

A State Highway 8 institution made to an old family recipe, with around 20 pie varieties on the menu. Roxburgh is stone-fruit country, so time your stop for summer and pair your pie with fresh Central Otago cherries or apricots. The cream buns here have a reputation for being enormous.

6. Miles Better Pies, Te Anau (Fiordland)

Must-try: Wild venison, or the taco pie.

The pie stop for anyone heading to Milford Sound or the Kepler Track. The wild venison pie is a salute to Fiordland, and the taco pie is the quirky bestseller that people drive miles to try. Queues can spill out the door in summer.

7. Fat Bastard Pies, Invercargill (Southland)

Must-try: Southland mutton pie.

The cheekiest brand on the trail, with merch to match. For a proper taste of the deep south, order the mutton pie: rich, fatty and unapologetically Southland. A great final stop before Bluff or the Catlins.

8. The Famous Sheffield Pie Shop, Sheffield (Canterbury)

Must-try: Venison and whisky relish, or the New York peppered steak.

The original “world famous” highway pie shop on the road to Arthur’s Pass and the West Coast. Sheffield has been drawing pie lovers for decades, and the venison and whisky relish pie is a standout. It is the natural first pie stop for anyone leaving Christchurch on State Highway 73.

9. The Burleigh, Blenheim (Marlborough)

Must-try: Spicy Jamaican lamb pie.

A destination pie shop near the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, perfect when you are driving between Picton, Havelock and Nelson. The sweet pork belly and steak and blue cheese pies sell best, but the Jamaican lamb is the one to order.

10. Traiteur of Merivale, Christchurch

Must-try: Oven-roasted pear, vanilla, caramel and ginger pie.

Proof that a pie can be dessert. This Papanui Road eatery won the 2026 Café Boutique gold award for this very pie. It is the most refined stop on the trail and an easy detour in Christchurch.

11. The Lunch Bar, Port Chalmers (Dunedin)

Must-try: Beef rendang pie.

Featured in the book New Zealand’s Best Gourmet Pies, this Port Chalmers pie came from a collaboration with a Malaysian baker. It is made in limited numbers and can sell out, so go early. For readers in Singapore and Malaysia, this one will feel like a little taste of home inside pastry.

The North Island Pie Trail

The North Island is where the national awards tend to be won, with Auckland and Waikato bakeries dominating recent results.

12. Patrick’s Pies / Gold Star Bakery, Tauranga (Bethlehem, Tauriko and Rotorua)

Must-try: Bacon and egg.

Tauranga’s most famous pie maker. Baker Patrick Lam has won the Supreme Pie Award multiple times with a bacon and egg pie, and the group still places in the national results, taking bronze in the Vegetarian category in 2026. The menu runs to dozens of flavours. There are also branches in Tauriko and Rotorua, so it is easy to add to a Bay of Plenty itinerary.

13. Levain Artisan Bakery, Blockhouse Bay (Auckland)

Must-try: Bacon and egg, and the steak and gravy.

The reigning champion. Sean Vo’s bacon and egg pie won the 2026 Supreme Pie Award with a perfect score, praised for its smoky bacon, whole eggs and light creamy sauce with a hint of cheese. It also took gold for steak and gravy. The recipe started as a family recipe more than four decades in the making, and the bakery was reportedly queued out after the win. Go early.

14. The Village Bakery Cafe, Piopio (King Country)

Must-try: Creamy pāua and cheese.

A small-town stop that won gold in the Gourmet Meat category in 2026 for its creamy pāua and cheese pie. If you are driving State Highway 3 near Waitomo, this is a must-stop. Pāua pie is a love-it-or-hate-it Kiwi classic, and this is the one to try if you are curious.

15. High Bakery & Cafe, Hamilton

Must-try: Steak and cheese.

Gold in the Steak and Cheese category in 2026. Hamilton is an easy stop between Auckland and Rotorua, Taupō or the Waikato attractions.

16. Eurobake Espresso, Kumeū (Auckland)

Must-try: Mince and cheese.

The 2026 gold winner for the country’s most-ordered pie. Kumeū sits on the way to the Kaipara and Northland, and it is also wine country, so it suits a pie-and-pinot detour.

17. Richoux Patisserie, Ellerslie (Auckland)

Must-try: Mince and gravy, or the Malaysian scallop and prawn laksa pie.

This Auckland patisserie won gold for mince and gravy in 2026 and also entered a scallop and prawn laksa pie that placed in the pāua category. If you are a Southeast Asian traveller who misses laksa, this is a fun one to try.

18. Penny Lanes Bakery, Onehunga (Auckland)

Must-try: Vegetable, mushroom and spinach.

The country’s best vegetarian pie of 2026. A good choice if anyone in your group does not eat meat, and a solid stop close to Auckland Airport.

19. Paetiki Bakery, Taupō

Must-try: A classic steak or mince pie.

A bright, busy Taupō bakery on Spa Road that has featured on pie-trail road trips from past award winners. It is a handy lunch stop for Lake Taupō, Huka Falls and the Desert Road.

20. Olde Beach Bakery, Waikanae (Kāpiti Coast)

Must-try: A classic pie, plus a cheese scone.

A small-but-mighty bakery just off the Kāpiti Expressway, loved by drivers heading to or from Wellington. It offers a wide range of pies, and the cheese scones are famous too.

Honourable Mentions

A few more bakeries worth knowing: Pie2go Mairangi Bay Bakery (2026 gold for chicken and vegetable), Taste Bakery and Roast in Henderson (2026 gold for potato top), The Darfield Café & Bakery near Christchurch, and Orewa Bakery north of Auckland. In Rotorua, check out Golden Quality Bakery, Springs Bakery and Guidough’s Bakery.

How to Plan Your Own NZ Pie Road Trip

South Island route idea: Blenheim → Christchurch → Sheffield → Fairlie → Wānaka → Arrowtown → Cromwell → Roxburgh → Port Chalmers → Invercargill → Te Anau. Hire a campervan or car and allow at least 10 to 14 days if you want to do the whole thing at a relaxed pace.

North Island route idea: Auckland (Levain, Richoux, Penny Lanes, Kumeū) → Hamilton → Piopio → Taupō → Tauranga → Waikanae near Wellington.

Tips for pie hunters:

• Go early. Famous bakeries sell out of their signature pies, especially on weekends and school holidays.
• Check opening hours. Small-town bakeries often close in the mid-afternoon, and some close on public holidays.
• Always blow on the pie. Fresh from the oven, the filling is molten.
• Order two. One classic (mince and cheese or steak and cheese) and one signature flavour is the best way to compare bakeries.
• Mind the season. Summer queues at Fairlie, Arrowtown and Te Anau can be long. Visiting off-peak makes the pie trail easier.

Travelling from Singapore? You can fly into Auckland or Christchurch and combine this pie trail with the classic South Island scenery of the Mackenzie Country, Queenstown and Fiordland.

FAQ: Best Pies in New Zealand

What is the best pie in New Zealand?

The 2026 Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Award went to Levain Artisan Bakery in Blockhouse Bay, Auckland, for its bacon and egg pie. Among road-trip favourites, Fairlie Bakehouse’s pork belly pie and Arrowtown Bakery’s range are two of the most talked-about stops.

Where is the best pie shop in the South Island?

Fairlie Bakehouse, Arrowtown Bakery, Sanga’s Pies in Cromwell, the Famous Sheffield Pie Shop and Miles Better Pies in Te Anau are the best-known South Island pie stops.

What is the most popular pie in NZ?

Mince and cheese, steak and cheese and bacon and egg are the classics. Gourmet pies such as pork belly and venison have become road-trip favourites.

What are the Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Awards?

An annual competition that judges bakery pies across categories such as bacon and egg, mince and cheese, steak and gravy, vegetarian and gourmet. The 2026 awards marked their 30th year.

Is Fairlie Bakehouse worth the stop?

Yes. It is on State Highway 8 on the way to Lake Tekapo and Aoraki Mt Cook, and its pork belly pie with crackling is one of the most famous pies in the country.

Do I need to book?

No. These are walk-in bakeries and pie shops. Arrive early for the best choice.

Final Bite

Whether you chase the 2026 champion in Auckland, the pork belly pie in Fairlie, a venison pie in Arrowtown or a mutton pie in Invercargill, New Zealand rewards the hungry road-tripper. Pick a route, pack napkins and start eating your way through the best pies in New Zealand.

Pie shops change menus and hours, and awards are updated every year. Always check before you travel.