Aaron Cooper, who owns Harbour Fish City in Dunedin, can get his fill of seafood when he wants, but he says the opening day of the Bluff oyster season is something he looks forward to every year.
Mr Cooper's shop was one of the first in Dunedin to put the delicacy on sale yesterday - 500 dozen to be precise.
But the bivalves did not stay long.
With more than 80 pre-orders, oysters were leaving the shop almost as quickly as he could bring them in yesterday.
Shop manager Nancy Anderson said the phone had been ringing off the hook for the past two days, with more than 240 callers asking when oysters would be arriving.
Prices in the city ranged from $22-$25 a dozen from fish supply shops, and up to $42 a dozen cooked in restaurants.
Although the price of oysters had not changed significantly since last year, some culinary enthusiasts were beginning to feel the pinch on their wallets.
Dunedin resident John Fulton said he had been buying oysters on opening day for the past 50 years, and believed $25 a dozen was the most he had paid.
He, like many others, said the taste of Bluff oysters would be bitter if the price rose further.
Mr Cooper said those with a taste for oysters need not worry about missing out.
He believed the boats operating from Bluff were doing well and looked like having a bumper season.
