Forget Fergburger: Here’s Where to Find the Best Meat Pie in New Zealand

Every great adventure starts with a little bit of hunger.

Sometimes it’s hunger for a challenge. Sometimes it’s for connection.
And sometimes?
It’s for a pie.

But not just any pie. I’m talking about the kind of pie that rewires your brain mid-bite and makes you question everything you thought you knew about road trip food.

Scene 1: Queenstown, Where the Internet Wants You to Stay

You’ve probably heard of Fergburger the influencer-approved, TikTok-immortalized burger joint in Queenstown. It’s become a pilgrimage site for tourists in puffer jackets and jet lag. The lines are long. The branding is strong. The food? Solid. Respectable. Totally worthy of a late-night fix.

But here’s the thing about my kind of adventure:
I don’t follow the crowds… I follow the whispers.

And this time, the whisper came from a local fly fishing guide who knows her backcountry streams and her baked goods. She leaned in and said, “Skip Ferg. Go to Cromwell. Find the mechanic’s shop. Behind it, there’s a place called Sanga’s Pies.”

Basic sign. No hype. No clue what you’re walking into.
And I was all in.

Scene 2: Warehouse Row & The Pie That Changed Everything

You don’t just stumble into Sanga’s Pies. You hunt it. Down a quiet stretch of industrial warehouses, behind a mechanic’s shop… that’s where the magic lives.

This is not where you expect greatness.
But that’s the thing about greatness it doesn’t beg for attention. It just delivers.

The moment I bit into the Holey Smokes steak and cheese pie, I knew.
This wasn’t just lunch. It was a detour-worthy revelation.

Perfectly cooked steak, cheese that actually stretched (you know what I mean), wrapped in the lightest, most buttery phyllo crust that somehow didn’t fall apart in my hands. It was balanced. Intentional. And totally unexpected.

But then came The Underbelly a slow-braised pork belly, cooked with local IPA and laced with Chinese five spice. I don’t eat pork but you read that right this was the other pie that was highly recommended (I didn’t eat it but it looked good). Local beer + global flavor = absolute flavor knockout. I’m talking crispy edges, tender middle, and layers of umami that would make any food snob shut up mid-sentence.

Scene 3: Lessons from the Pie That Wasn’t on the Map

Here’s the real story.
This wasn’t just about a pie.

It was about what happens when you trust the locals, take the detour, and stop living by the algorithm.

In business and in life, it’s easy to follow the trends. To chase the obvious. To go where everyone else already is.
But excellence? The truly unforgettable stuff?
It lives in the quiet corners. It hides behind mechanic shops. It waits for the curious, not the comfortable.

Whether I’m scouting untouched water or building something from scratch, I’ve learned to value off-the-grid wisdom over on-the-grid noise.

The best water isn’t where the casting platform is already worn bare.
The best talent isn’t always loudest on LinkedIn.
And the best meal of your damn trip might be behind a forklift in Cromwell.

So yeah, this is your sign.

Skip the selfie line. Trust the fly fishing guide. Eat the pie.

You just might walk away with more than lunch - you might walk away reminded of what it means to chase the real stuff.

Stay curious. Stay hungry. And remember: detours aren’t distractions… they ARE the point.

- Jenn

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