Tonight | Off the Grid with Colin and Manu on Channel 7: Stewart Island begins season two – Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel return to Aotearoa tonight. The first episode of Off the Grid with Colin and Manu season two begins on Stewart Island before the chefs head towards Te Anau. It airs at 9.00pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
On Stewart Island, the pair chase blue cod. Their journey then takes them inland for a riverside venison cook-up with Betty on the road to Te Anau.
It is a food trip shaped by where Colin and Manu stop, not a studio challenge. For viewers who know the chefs as My Kitchen Rules judges, their return to the road puts local ingredients and the people behind them at the centre of the evening.
Stewart Island starts a new Aotearoa journey
The premiere opens in the wild south of New Zealand. Blue cod gives the chefs their first ingredient hunt, while the move towards Te Anau brings a different landscape and a different meal.
Betty joins them for the venison cook-up beside the river. The short episode outline keeps the details of that encounter under wraps, but the change from a coastal catch to a game dish shows the range of local food the series explores.
Colin and Manu travel with a small caravan and cook wherever the journey takes them. Across the season, the pair seek out local produce and meet people who know each place and its food traditions.
Colin and Manu leave the judging table behind
Instead of scoring other cooks, the two chefs follow their own curiosity. The broader series takes them along highways and back roads, from seafood and wild game to outdoor meals and local feasts.
Those stops are also a chance to hear stories about the communities they visit. The travel, landscapes and shared meals are as important as the finished dishes.
Tonight’s route offers a clear starting point: Stewart Island’s blue cod, then the venison meal with Betty as the caravan continues towards Te Anau. Colin and Manu’s friendship supplies the company, while the people and ingredients of Aotearoa set the direction.
TV Central has also covered Colin and Manu’s earlier journey through the first season.
Off the Grid with Colin and Manu season two premieres tonight, Tuesday 29 September, at 9.00pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
Find the series at the official Off the Grid page on 7plus.