Warning: This article contains wheat, alcohol, dangerously moreish dairy products, fierce doses of caffeine, and chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. Over-indulgence in this article may cause extreme hunger. If symptoms persist, please see Zest Food Tours, Wellington.

We start with the caffeine. It's 10am on a windy Wednesday and Mojo Coffee Cartel is abuzz with a wonderful whooshing, chattering, spoon-clanging cafe clamour. Our group of five plus guide, Claire, are greeted by the thick, warm aroma of coffee and a smile from resident roaster Lambros Gianoutsos.

In the open coffee roasting area out back, Lambros is attending to an imposing black and chrome machine. Freshly roasted, cocoa-coloured coffee beans spin slowly in a stainless steel tray as they cool. Above, a peep-hole shows raw beans roasting, turning slowly from their original light soapy green colour to their final deep russet hue. The revolving beans crackle and snap loudly, like hot oil spitting from a pan.

"We heat the machine to 225 degrees," explains Lambros in his warm Greek accent. "At 140-160 we get the first crack. After the second crack, it's ready."

Breathing in the dizzying scent of coffee, we stand amongst robust sacks of unroasted beans and sample koulouri and affogato. "Koulouri," says Claire, pointing to the golden, sesame seed-covered flutes, "is sort of the Italian equivalent to wine biscuits."

And, I discover, the perfect accompaniment to the delightfully decadent affogato: a scoop of smooth, cold vanilla ice cream covered with a sharp shot of hot espresso.

It is details - and deliciousness - like this that makes Zest's Walking Gourmet tour the magical epicurean adventure that it is. Spanning four hours, the Walking Gourmet option takes guests on an informative, tasty meander through Wellington central city before ambling along the picturesque waterfront to lunch at a top restaurant.

Walking Gourmet is just one of six adventures offered by Zest Food Tours. The company was established in 2003 by local foodies Catherine Cordwell and Susan McLeary with the aim of showing off the local goodies and gourmands to international visitors, taking them into the inner workings of Wellington's epicurean reputation.

Whilst the city is renowned for its cafe culture, which began brewing in the late 1980s, Wellington's relationship with fine foods dates back much farther.

Moore Wilson Fresh was established in 1918. Part fruit and vegetable market, part delicatessen, part specialist food store, this family-owned business is the place for fresh and fanciful foods. Originally dealing solely in bulk foods, the warehouse style 'cash and carry' operation is now lined with rainbows of scented fruit, exotic vegetables and boxes of fresh, fragrant herbs.

Clear cabinets hold neat rows of perfectly iced cakes, while processions of pickles and preserves line the aisles. Salmon stare lifelessly at me from their beds of ice. Breads of every shape and colour are piled haphazardly high at the bakery and a chiller, metres long, is stacked full with rounds and wedges of colourful cheese.

We pick at a platter of three: the sticky-soft Te Mata Pakipaki goats' cheese, the moreish Kapiti Kikorangi blue, and the piquant Linkwater aged cheddar (aged here at Moore Wilson's) matched with crunchy crackers, fresh strawberries and golden kiwifruit.

Moore Wilson's is such a Wellington institution, says Claire, that at Christmas time there are lines of customers snaking metres out the door.

"They give out free coffee. It keeps the queue-rage down," she laughs.

Were I experiencing rage of any kind in Wellington, I know exactly where I would head.

Schoc Chocolaterie & Espresso Bar is a hole in the wall on Tory Street. Long and thin like a chocolate bar, the shop is wrapped up with umber-brown timber floors and shocking (schoc-ing?) orange decor. Long before you cross the threshold, the dreamy aroma of coffee and chocolate comes beckoning.

Established by 'chocologists' and founders of Chocolate Therapy Ltd, Murray Langham and Roger Simpson, Schoc chocolate is based on the concept of 'chocology', or chocolate psychology.

The basic premise behind chocology is that everyone's preferred flavour or shape of chocolate is indicative of their behaviour or personality. Staring at the rows and rows of whimsical flavours I am baffled that anyone can select just one preference - and I wonder what my indecision to do so says about me!

We experience a blind tasting of weird and wonderful chocolate varieties. "Look at it, smell it and search for the underlying scents, then taste it," says the girl behind the counter.

Following her instructions I devour morsels of the fragrantly floral Lavender; the sharp, almost citrusy Earl Grey Tea; zingy, zesty Lemon and Cracked Black Pepper; strangely delicious Sweet Basil and the subtle yet unmistakeable Ginger.

I drink my frothy Lavender and Orange 'hot schocolate' slowly, with a silver 'stroon' (straw-cum-spoon) and linger at the counter a little longer than necessary just to bathe in the heady atmosphere.

Outside, Wellington has turned on a spectacular afternoon. The sun sparkles on the ocean and the infamous Wellington wind is in hiding as we amble along the lively waterfront, gorging ourselves on the smorgasbord of history and quirky local facts dished out by Claire.

Shed 5, our lunch stop, is nestled innocuously in a corner overlooking the calm waters of Queens Wharf. Built in 1888 as a wool store, Shed 5 has been transformed into a grand restaurant of timber floors and ornate ceilings. Bright natural light and sea-tinged breezes curl through the huge open windows, spilling across the white-clothed tables.

The thought of a four course meal after a morning of gluttony makes me a tad uneasy. That is until the scallops on balsamic onions and mashed potatoes with champagne prosciutto beurre blanc are placed in front of me alongside a Stoneleigh Pinot Gris. Next comes lamb on soft gorgonzola and pine nut polenta with roasted vine ripened tomatoes, matched with Red Rock Gravel Merlot Malbec.

Thankfully, Shed 5 is a place where the long, lazy lunch is acceptable. We linger, we chat and we laugh. And before we know it, we're finishing up with an artistic arrangement of rich, dark, hand-made, chocolate truffles which, I decide, are the perfect metaphor for Zest's Walking Gourmet tour: delightful, unforgettable and utterly delicious.


Amelia experienced Zest Food Tours Walking Gourmet courtesy of Positively Wellington Tourism, Zest Food Tours and www.fourcorners.co.nz.