It has been dubbed the "little butchery in the middle of nowhere" - a traditional German sausage outlet that is stopping traffic in remote North Taranaki.
Patrick Lachmann at his shop Bratwurst Bros Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Bratwurst Bros has set up shop alongside State Highway 3 at Urutī - just under an hour's drive from New Plymouth.
Urutī - population 800 - is less a settlement than a valley that offers motorists a rare opportunity to pass on this stretch of SH3.
Only about 2000 vehicles pass through on an average day.
But that does not faze Patrick Lachmann - who has modelled Bratwurst Bros on a German autobahnraststätte - and hopes to turn it into a destination in and of itself.
"I really like the idea that people can drive in have lots of room to park and sit down and have a rest and actually it deserves its name rest stop area.
"So, it's not this typical stop on the side of the road, really quick and get home really quick. It invites people to linger a little bit."
Bratwurst Bros customers (from left) Ben, Chris and Hayden dig into their footlong bratwurst. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Originally from Oldenburg, Lachmann has 40 years' experience in the small goods business and his mobile bratwurst stand has become a constant at Taranaki events over the past decade.
He said traditional German bratwurst was not comparable to your average New Zealand sausage sizzle.
"We never over spice. We like really much the flavour but we never over spice, so it's not spicy.
"And, of course, we produce it all naturally. The traditional way is only meats, fresh herbs and spices, a good sausage doesn't need any more than that."
Lachmann believed quality would prevail and people would come.
Adrian Celebrin holding his footlong. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Adrian Celebrin of Cambridge was a convert.
"I've got a job down in Taranaki and I come down here once a week and I've been seeing this guy slowly, gradually opening the place bit by bit, doing bits and pieces and then all of a sudden he opened and I had a sausage and I was hooked.
"I've actually made a special journey to come down here at the right time today so that he's open."
He was not disappointed.
"Fantastic, fantastic for the middle of nowhere. To get a nice German sausage this long.
"It's called a footlong. It's German pork sausage, nice bun and the sauce is nice too. Homemade curry sauce like the good old days back in Germany."
Wellingtonians Carly, Paul and Nan stopped in on the way back from a hot air ballooning excursion.
Carly went large.
"Oh my goodness it's a foot long. It's pretty big, it's massive. I might need a doggy bag for later, I might have to do it in two chunks."
The taste lived up to expectations too.
"It's top notch, it's bloody great."
You can also buy home supplies. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Nan's focus was on the home freezer.
"I've got ham, I've got bacon, I've got cheese, I've got sausages and liverwurst, which is like black pudding, to go with my bacon and eggs."
A footlong was a bridge too far for her.
"It was just a bit big and actually I was hoping they might give me a bite off the end."
And, of course, the proof of the sausage is in the eating, so your humble correspondent went the extra mile ... and yes it was fantastic.
The Bratwurst Bros rest stop is open from 7am seven days a week.