Gian van Veen spent the past week in Auckland for the
New Zealand Darts Masters, but between matches there was time to sample some local culture. The Dutch darter headed into the city for a distinctive culinary tour. His goal: try a classic New Zealand meat pie. Van Veen’s verdict was ultimately quite clear.
The 24-year-old Dutchman had travelled to New Zealand with several other PDC players for the
New Zealand Darts Masters. Auckland is the country’s largest city, known for its unique setting and rich history. During his outing, Van Veen took his followers through the city and uncovered some striking facts about Auckland.
“Auckland is really something special,” Van Veen said while walking through the city. Auckland was built on a volcanic field with more than fifty extinct volcanoes. The city was once New Zealand’s capital, a role it held until Wellington took over in 1865.
Today, Auckland is New Zealand’s commercial heart, with over 1.6 million people in the metropolitan area. But one local speciality intrigued Van Veen most: the famous New Zealand meat pie.
In search of the perfect pie
Van Veen set out to find a spot to try that quintessential local treat. Once at the shop, it was time to choose. His eye fell on a striking option: a pie with mint and cheese. "We are here in Auckland for the New Zealand Darts Masters and today it's time for the local treat tour.We're about to find out what Auckland has to offer for the local treat, and apparently it's a kiwi pie," Van Veen announced.
Moments later, the pie was in front of him. Van Veen first cut it open to see exactly what was inside. By local custom, a meat pie is eaten by hand, but the Dutchman wasn’t overly concerned. “Apparently that you're supposed to eat this with your hands, so maybe I'm going against the rules at the moment,” he joked.
Cutting it open made clear the pie was still quite hot. Steam rose from the pastry, and Van Veen had to be careful before taking a bite. "It's really warm on the inside,” he noted. After a few cooling blows, he moved to the key part of his visit: the taste test.
Enthusiastic at first, then ultimately disappointed
Van Veen’s first impression was positive. He liked the pie and praised its juiciness. "This one's quite nice. You can see it's really juicy. So you can feel that as well. It's quite like a pastry. Well, what you expect with a pie maybe. But I like the taste of this. It's really good."
However, that early positivity wasn’t enough to fully convince him. As he ate further, he began to feel the meal’s heaviness.
In his final assessment, the Dutchman gave the New Zealand speciality a passing grade, but nothing to make Auckland’s pie makers cheer. "I'm going to give it a 6.5 out of 10. I felt it quite heavy on the stomach. I didn't finish it all as well. It just wasn't really my thing. I thought after the first bite I was going to love it, but I didn't in the end."
Gian van Veen went out in the quarter-finals of the New Zealand Darts Masters
Australia awaits
Van Veen stressed that his disappointment with the meat pie says nothing about his appreciation for New Zealand. On the contrary, the Dutch darter is clearly enjoying his time Down Under. Only the local speciality hasn’t won him over yet.
Van Veen won’t have much time to recover from his culinary adventure. After New Zealand, the trip continues to Australia. There are more key darts matches on the schedule, and the Dutchman will have the chance to discover even more of Down Under’s culture and cuisine.
"So I love New Zealand, but the meat pies, they aren't for me. But who knows, next week in Australia, I'm going to see you there. We're going down under and I'm looking forward to it."
The
Australian Darts Masters takes place on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 August and is the second Oceanic World Series event.