New Zealand restaurant awarded ‘star’ in Michelin Guide

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After years of being snubbed by the Michelin Guide and its famous star rating system, New Zealand restaurateurs have opened the “highest star restaurant”. New Zealand’s top chef Ben Bayly has created a special one-off dining experience under the stars at Kura Tawhiti (Castle Hill). The temporary restaurant, located in the foothills of the Southern Alps on the country’s South Island, invited 50 international foodies to judge the local cuisine firsthand.

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Despite the world-renowned wines and local cuisine of New Zealand and Australia, neither country has been awarded a Michelin star. The restaurant, named Pou-o-Kai, means “the highest star restaurant”, and claims to offer a unique dining experience.

“The Michelin Guide defines three stars as exceptional food that is worth travelling to,” Bailey said. “We think New Zealand cuisine is in a league of its own. We call it haute cuisine that is worth travelling to the edge of the earth for.” He added: “Why settle for one Michelin star when you can cook in front of 2.5 billion people?”

While this is a one-off event, the bespoke dishes served by Pou-o-Kai will be replicated in Bayly’s New Zealand restaurants, including those in Auckland and Queenstown, until August 2025.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive René de Monchy said: “We are used to New Zealand being left off lists. First the world map, now the Michelin Guide, so we are happy to call the shots for ourselves. Our night skies are world famous, of course, but our cuisine deserves one or three stars too.”

The tourism board said the bespoke dining experiences were designed to showcase New Zealand’s “celestial wonders” such as the Aurora Australis and the Milky Way.

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