Seven Grown-Up Easter Treats to Hunt Down Around Auckland

It's Easter. Time to stuff yourself with baby animal-shaped chocolates and cross-covered pastries while feeling absolutely zero shame. To help you make the most of it, here are the best holiday treats making up your Easter hunt this year — from hot cross bun soda syrup and interactive ice cream-filled stones to insanely delicious custard-topped buns and Creme Egg milkshakes.

CADBURY CREME EGG SPECIAL SHAKE AT ORLEANS

Is it really Easter if you didn't devour a Creme Egg? The creamy treats from global chocolate conglomerate Cadbury are an institution. So much so that the recipe has been transformed into everything from Creme Egg-flavoured mayonnaise to rum and, most recently, a very controversial fudge vagina (you read that right). In Auckland, things are a bit calmer with Orleans' Creme Egg milkshake. For $8 you can order the beverage topped with whipped cream, caramel sauce and miniature Creme Egg, or for an extra few bucks ($15) the shake can be upgraded with a splash of vodka.

HOT CROSS BUNS AT IMA

For one month every year Fort Street's Ima puts the brakes on Middle Eastern cuisine to pump out mouthwatering hot cross buns. Ima's version of the classic Easter treat are undoubtably the most popular in Auckland, selling out via pre-order well in advance. To keep up with the massive volume of bun baking, the kitchen even limits some of its services. But what makes them so special? The buns are made with ground spices and topped with a rich custard cross. While it's too late to get your orders in, Ima will still be stocking its cabinet with fresh buns. And while you're at it, pop next door to Miann and select any of their festive chocolatey treats.

TU KOHATU (STACKING STONES) AT GIAPO

Last year Auckland's very own 'Einstein of ice cream', Gianpaolo Grazioli, flipped the traditional hot cross bun on its head, impaled it with a waffle cone and filled it with ice cream. The part cone, part bun is back again this year alongside a new Easter offering. Changing the function of ice cream, Giapo's Tū Kōhatu — Stacking Stones draws inspiration from the traditional Māori game in which smooth stones are balanced on on top of the other to form a tower. The edible version is made up of seven or more smooth, chocolate-coated, ice cream-filled stones of varying sizes. Customers can try to stack the stones as high as they can go without the stones tumbling.

EASTER EGG SMASH AT LITTLE LATO

Found inside Morningside's Crave cafe, Little Lato is a pint-sized gelateria serving up authentic Italian gelato and dreamy desserts. Founder Hannah Wood is well-versed in the creation of ice-cool treats; before bringing the concept to Auckland she received a scholarship to study at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy. Little Lato's Easter Egg Smash is exactly what it sounds like: easter eggs smashed into gelato. To celebrate the long weekend the gelateria also serves up marshmallow-filled and hot cross bun gelato.

EASTER HIGH TEA AT CORDIS AUCKLAND

Cordis Auckland is going full steam ahead this Easter. To start, Auckland's biggest Easter egg can be found in the lobby — the ginormous oval is made from 120kgs of chocolate. At onsite restaurant Eight the dessert bar is offering a sweeter-than-usual selection of chocolate desserts including ganache tart and macadamia chocolate brownie. The main event comes via the themed Easter high tea in the Lobby Lounge with three tiers of treats and accompanying buttermilk scones and tea. Chocolate addicts can upgrade their feast with the decadent Crème de Chocross cocktail, which is crafted with three different Belgian chocolates, butterscotch schnapps, cream and Chartreuse mist.

HOT CROSS BUN SODA SYRUP AT SIX BARREL SODA CO

There's a lot of 'hot cross' things happening around the city, and Six Barrel Soda Co's latest experimental release is effectively the traditional sweet and spicy bun in liquid form. The syrup is packed with all those classic Easter flavours – cinnamon, zest, raisins, currants, and a hit of chocolate from cacao husk — and is available in limited numbers. It's available online over here.

TRIO OF CHOCOLATE AT GIRAFFE

Chef Simon Gault has created not one but three decadent desserts for Easter. His Trio of Chocolate series consists of a dark chocolate version with chocolate pudding, raspberry marshmallows, hot cross bun ice cream and dehydrated chocolate mousse; a white chocolate serving with feijoa panna cotta, roasted white chocolate, white chocolate sorbet and crumble; and a milk chocolate dish with flourless chocolate cake, honeycomb, violet rubble and vanilla ice cream.