Lemon & Paeroa: New Zealand’s “World Famous” Soft Drink

There’s something delightfully self-aware about a drink that markets itself as “World Famous in New Zealand.” Yet this cheeky slogan perfectly captures the Kiwi spirit behind L&P—or Lemon & Paeroa—a sweet, lemony soft drink that has become an iconic part of New Zealand’s cultural identity.​

A six-pack of Lemon & Paeroa (L&P) mini cans, a popular lemon-flavored soft drink from New Zealand 

The Origins: A Spring, A Lemon, and a Happy Accident

The story of L&P begins in Paeroa, a small town nestled at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula where the Ohinemuri and Waihou rivers meet. In the late 1800s, local residents discovered a natural mineral spring with water rich in magnesium bicarbonate. Arthur Wohlman analyzed this spring water in 1904 and confirmed its high mineral content, which was believed to have curative and health benefits.​

The birth of the drink itself is somewhat uncertain, but the most charming origin story tells of a couple who brought lemons with them to the spring, squeezing fresh lemon juice into the naturally carbonated mineral water. The combination tasted so good that it sparked an idea that would eventually become a national treasure.​

In 1909, Robert Fewell began bottling the Paeroa spring water commercially through the Paeroa Natural Mineral Water Company. By 1915, Grey & Menzies Limited had purchased the company and the spring land, launching what they called their “new idea”—adding lemon flavoring to create “Lemon and Paeroa”. While various sources cite dates ranging from 1904 to 1907 as the drink’s origin, the brand officially uses 1907 as its established date, marking when Menzies & Co began commercial bottling.​

From Local Spring to Coca-Cola

For decades, L&P remained true to its roots, using actual mineral water from the Paeroa spring. The drink became locally popular, spreading across New Zealand and earning its place as a piece of Kiwiana—items and icons that represent New Zealand’s national identity.​

However, the 1970s brought significant changes. To ensure consistent taste and meet growing demand, production shifted to using artificially carbonated water rather than the natural spring water. In 1980, the Paeroa factory closed entirely, with all production moving to Auckland. Over the years, ownership changed hands multiple times through companies including Schweppes, Oasis Industry, and Innes Tartan LTD. Finally, in 1989, Coca-Cola acquired L&P, and the beverage giant continues to manufacture it today.​

This shift sparked some controversy. In 1995, complaints arose that the drink should be renamed since it no longer actually contained water from Paeroa. However, authorities decided no change was needed, and the name—and the connection to the town—remained intact.​

Giant L&P bottle sculpture, an iconic symbol of Lemon and Paeroa beverage, located in Paeroa, New Zealand 

The Icon: A 7-Meter Monument to Kiwi Pride

Perhaps nothing symbolizes L&P’s place in New Zealand culture more than the giant bottle statue in Paeroa itself. Standing 6.8 meters (22 feet) tall with a diameter of 1.3 meters, this concrete monument has become one of New Zealand’s most photographed landmarks.​

The statue’s history is almost as quirky as the drink’s slogan. In late 1968, the Paeroa Business Association, in conjunction with Innes Tartan (then owners of the mineral water spring), erected a giant L&P bottle on the town’s main street. It even had a public address office in the bottle neck. However, this original installation had to be dismantled because it was deemed a traffic hazard.​

In the summer of 1969, a slightly smaller version—though still impressively large—was built and eventually relocated to its current home in the Ohinemuri Reserve at the corner of Normanby Road and Te Aroha Road. Interestingly, the bottle was preceded by a “Paeroa rocket” the previous year, built during the space race era to keep with the international excitement about moon landings.​

Today, the giant bottle stands surrounded by lemon trees and lemon-shaped rubbish bins, maintained by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners while owned by the local council. It celebrated its 50th birthday in 2018 with a giant birthday bow. For visitors, photographing yourself with this iconic bottle is considered an essential Paeroa experience.​

“World Famous in New Zealand”: Marketing Genius

If L&P’s giant bottle represents its physical presence in New Zealand culture, its advertising slogan captures its spirit. The phrase “World Famous in New Zealand” was created in 1993 by Saatchi & Saatchi Auckland, Coca-Cola Amatil’s advertising agency at the time.​

The slogan brilliantly walks the line between parochial pride and self-deprecating humor. It acknowledges that while L&P might not be known globally like Coca-Cola or Pepsi, it holds a special place in the hearts of New Zealanders—a “big fish in a small pond” mentality that Kiwis embrace with characteristic good humor.​

The catchphrase became so popular that it evolved beyond advertising into a common New Zealand expression used to describe anything locally famous but internationally unknown. In 2009, a Paeroa businessman challenged Coca-Cola Amatil’s attempt to trademark the phrase, arguing it was a “Kiwi-ism” that belonged to all New Zealanders. However, courts disagreed, and the company successfully secured the trademark.​

Classic L&P television advertisements reinforced this message with wit and charm, sometimes narrated by Jermaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame. One memorable commercial listed all the things New Zealand isn’t famous for—Grand Prix racing, flashy department stores, stunning architecture—before declaring that it is famous for L&P.​​

The Taste of Summer in New Zealand

What exactly does L&P taste like? Descriptions vary, but most compare it to a combination of lemonade, club soda, and ginger ale—sweet, lemony, and refreshingly fizzy. The drink contains carbonated water, sugar, food acid, flavoring, mineral salts, and coloring.​

Coca-Cola New Zealand markets it as “the taste of summer in NZ” and “good lemony stuff”. While some international visitors have described it less charitably—one blogger memorably called it “mud water”—New Zealanders remain fiercely loyal to their homegrown beverage. The drink is available throughout New Zealand in various sizes, from 250ml mini cans to 2.25-liter bottles, though you won’t find it anywhere else in the world.​

Paeroa town centre with flower-lined sidewalks and small commercial buildings in New Zealand 

Paeroa: More Than Just a Drink

While L&P put Paeroa on the map, the town itself has a rich history worth exploring. The name “Paeroa” means “a long low ridge of hills,” referring to the nearby Coromandel Range.​

The town’s early development was closely tied to gold mining. When the Ohinemuri goldfield opened in 1875, Paeroa emerged as a crucial river port. The Waihou River served as the only highway for transporting heavy mining machinery, coal, and supplies upstream to gold mines at Karangahake, Waikino, and Waihi. During the 1890s gold rush, Paeroa thrived as a busy transport and distribution center, with regular steamship services connecting it to Auckland and Thames.​

The nearby Karangahake Gorge became one of New Zealand’s most productive gold mining areas. Following the introduction of the MacArthur-Forrest cyanide process in 1889, Karangahake’s Crown Battery became the world’s first field test of cyanide gold extraction. The Talisman mine alone covered 507 acres and yielded over 3 million ounces of gold and silver bullion before closing in 1919.​

As gold mining declined in the early 20th century, Paeroa reinvented itself. One of Hauraki’s first butter factories was built there in 1901, and dairy farming gradually replaced mining as the region’s economic mainstay. Today, the fertile Hauraki Plains surrounding Paeroa remain an important dairy farming region.​

Visiting Paeroa Today

Modern Paeroa, with a population of around 3,900, offers visitors several attractions beyond its famous bottle. The town bills itself as the “Antiques Capital of New Zealand,” with numerous antique shops lining the main street offering furniture, jewelry, books, and collectibles.​

The Paeroa Historical Maritime Park, just north of town, features restored historic vessels and displays about the area’s river transport history and maritime heritage. The nearby Hauraki Rail Trail, an easy grade-one cycling route suitable for all ages, passes through Paeroa connecting Thames, Waihi, and Te Aroha. The trail follows old railway lines through the scenic Karangahake Gorge, where remnants of gold mining history remain visible, including tunnels and old mining infrastructure.​

For the full L&P experience, visitors can stop at the L&P Café Bar & Brasserie, which features its own smaller 5.8-meter L&P bottle statue out front. Of course, no visit to Paeroa is complete without trying an ice-cold bottle of the drink itself from any local café, shop, or service station.​

Landmarks and local scenes from Paeroa, New Zealand including the iconic L&P bottle statue, L&P Café, Paeroa Memorial RSA, and residential area 

A Rival Drink: Lemon & Te Aroha

Interestingly, L&P wasn’t the first lemon-flavored mineral water drink in the region. Just 30 kilometers south in Te Aroha, a competitor called “Lemon & Te Aroha” launched in 1888—19 years before L&P. Like its Paeroa cousin, Lemon & Te Aroha used naturally carbonated mineral spring water believed to have curative properties. Thousands visited the Te Aroha spring to drink the waters, which were claimed to cure stomach ailments, bladder disorders, nasal issues, and gout.​

After changing hands several times, Lemon & Te Aroha was eventually purchased by Oasis Industries in 1972—the same company that owned L&P. Oasis Industries discontinued Lemon & Te Aroha shortly afterward, focusing resources on the more popular L&P. However, in a delightful twist, entrepreneur Richard Revell revived Lemon & Te Aroha in 2022 after four years of planning, returning to natural production methods using actual spring water.​

The Legacy: More Than Just a Soft Drink

L&P represents something larger than carbonated lemon water. It embodies New Zealand’s ability to celebrate its own identity with both pride and humor. The drink’s story—from a natural spring discovered by chance, through various corporate ownerships, to its place as a Coca-Cola product that somehow remains distinctly Kiwi—mirrors New Zealand’s own journey as a small nation finding its voice in the global marketplace.

The giant bottle standing sentinel in Paeroa serves as a reminder that sometimes the most memorable landmarks aren’t ancient monuments or natural wonders, but playful celebrations of local culture. For New Zealanders, L&P is comfort in a bottle—a taste of home that evokes summer days, childhood memories, and national pride.

Whether you’re a Kiwi expatriate seeking a taste of home or a curious visitor experiencing New Zealand for the first time, L&P offers more than refreshment. It offers a sip of New Zealand’s character: unpretentious, self-aware, and refreshingly unique.

After all, not everything needs to be world famous everywhere. Sometimes being “World Famous in New Zealand” is more than enough.​