I was travelling through a bit of the North Island with my family on a road trip and we stopped…read moreover in Taurange for the night. It's one of my favorite beach areas and we stayed on the Tauranga side (not the Mount side). With two little kiddos, we were up early and went to The Strand area in search of coffee (and breakfast, but mostly coffee). It was proably a little before 8:00 am and there were no souls to be found, except at the Dry Dock. We noticed that it seemed to literally be the only place open in the few blocks that we walked around. I was looking for something with a water view, but I was desperate for some caffiene and, with nothing else open, these guys had us as their captive audience. The good news is, it all turned out good. Really good. The staff were friendly and accommodating. We asked for a high chair and they just about fell over themselves with happiness to provide it (we later learned that they had just bought one for the cafe and we were the lucky first users of it). Breakfast was yummy and there was plenty of the standard NZ type breakfast options available, in addition to the goodies in the bakery cabinet. My husband had some yummy French toast with bananas and bacon. I had the mueli, which to be fair was a little different than I expected, but still good. It had a lot of fresh fruit on it (apples, bananas, etc.) which was all fine and dandy, but not as much meusli itself. So, if you find yourself in Tauranga with a need for breakfast and/or coffee (at an hour, really) swing on by and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

We were here for a convention with a decent sized group, staying at a hotel around the corner and…read morethis place became our home-away-from-home. We ate breakfast here every morning and were treated like family. The food was delicious, the helpings generous and the price totally reasonable. The service was excellent as well. Very much recommend and we will definitely eat here when we're in Tauranga next.

The One Tree Bakery is small, but has a huge assortment of meat pies, lamb, seafood, chicken, steak…read moreand some vegetarian ones too! I had the steak and cheese pie, and it was great! One pie is the right size for one person. The steak pie had large chunks of tender beef in a tasty gravy. The cheese was spread throughout. The crust was flaky and a bit fatty, like you would expect...an excellent pie!

While stopping in town on a cruise, a tour driver suggested this was the place for meat pie.. OMG!…read moreBest thing we ate on the entire trip. Staff was friendly and so humble. Tremendous variety as well.

Love it! My friend brought us here for some fast food, and I have no problem eating the delicious…read moreand cheap (by US standards) meat pies. They also have cold sandwiches, pastries, burgers, hot dishes. My friend equates Ronnie's to kind of like a Denny's, but seriously, the pies are awesome, good quality, and cheap.

Self-service cafe and bakery with a very wide selection on the main Street in Rotorua. It opens…read moreearlier than the other cafes, so it's great for a quick brekky. Meat pies were really good.

My husband absolutely adored or breakfast at Ciabatta Cafe while in Rotorua…read more Service was fast, and friendly with plenty of open seating in the cafe. The food was outstanding, and we were blown away by the focaccia breakfast sandwich. The passion fruit Cronut was delicious as well!

We loved this spot so much we visited twice during our trip. They make the most delicious…read moresandwiches with fresh ciabatta bread. There's also a big selection of pastries and coffee on their menu. The location is in an industrial area but can be easily found with google maps. There's a few spots of parking outside and plenty of seating inside. The food comes out quickly and staff are nice. Very casual spot for top notch sandwiches. Highly recommend visiting if you're from out of town.

Best pies I had in New Zealand and we haven't found a pie yet in Australia that compares.read more

This is my favourite ever bakery! They make their own pies and they are delicious! Their steak pies…read morehave big chunks of meat in it and the pastry is to die for. The cream donuts are also absolutely divine. I always make the effort to stop by this bakery on my road trips!

I have yet to find a good coffee between Tauranga and Auckland. It's a barren wasteland of…read moresuperettes and truck stops (don't even 'Copper Kettle' me). Today I decided to give Waihi township a quick look through. I have to admit - usually we're making this drive at unusual hours, and we're ready to go full throttle and crank some KFC by the time we hit Waihi. But not today! A) because it was 8:30am and B) because I was driving solo and thus not tormented by peer pressure and my innate weakness for chicken. There weren't many places open this early in the morning (on a public holiday, no less). But a few cars were parked outside an unassuming 'German Bakery' on the main drag. I pulled up, stepped past the quaint round tables with checkered cloth that huddled together outside trying not to fall prey to the torrential downpour. I entered the chain-drop curtain thing to find a tidy, warm and wonderfully aromatic bakery. A quick peek behind the counter revealed - tah dah! - an espresso machine. Golden. I ordered a double shot mocha with soy ($6.50 - they charge for soy), and sat down while the lovely German fellow (who had emerged from a back room somewhere at the 'clink' of the chains) prepared my caffeinated dream. While I waited, I read the brief info sheet that lay on every table - it detailed the process of preparing and baking sourdough, and the nutritional benefits of it versus other breads. Though I only wanted coffee, I was now convinced that I needed some sourdough in my life. There was a huge variety of freshly baked loaves, but I decided to be traditional and bought a classic white ($6). The coffee was lovely. Very much better than I usually get on this drive (although the sugar factor was probably at play in this one - will order a flat white next time to double check). I haven't eaten the sourdough yet - I'm saving it for dinner. But if you're heading through Waihi I'd definitely give the German Bakery a look through - it's a neat little find! P.S. My coffee came with a bite of something delicious. I could not begin to tell you what it was, but it appeared to contain nuts and fruits and was fresh from the oven.

Best coffee I have ever tasted and the sourdough breads best ever - so full of flavour and not full…read moreof air, will last for days in pantry, poppy cake lovely too.

In the wasteland that is Papamoa Plaza/Fashion Island is this oasis of great coffee and excellent…read morepastries. The jam & fresh cream donuts are divine. Slightly crunchy on the outside, doughy on the inside. The salted caramel slice was also excellent.

We stopped at 3:23 right as they closed at the end of the day. Many of the flavors were gone, but…read morewe shared the best steak and mushroom pie. For $7, it fed two people after we had a visit to the thermal pool park a few blocks away. Quick in and out parking and tap to pay. Best ever service.

Great place to stop to pick up a quick bite to eat for the day. Great selection of savory hand pies…read moreand sweet desserts. We are only in town for a few days and plan to go back a second time! We enjoyed the sweet lamb curry and the steak and mushroom pies