Was a bit of a drive (15 minutes) off highway 1 but such a delight! The garden bohemian vibe is…read moredarling and me u varied and delicious!

Love this little detour from the road. We went here btw the Hobbiton tour and on our way to the…read moreGlowworm caves. Loved it. So quaint and shabby chic. Got omelettes all of us because breakfast is served all day and they were hearty with big chunks of filling. Loved being outside and you can walk around their lovely garden or browse the small art gallery. A perfect fit. Added bonus is there are PYO Blueberry or strawberry farms

Nice setting with large interior, coveted balcony and lovely garden area. Right on the main read…read morenext to Alexandra Hotel and Five Stags restaurant. With the awning around the balcony down it looked closed and sign hard to see. Worth stopping to make sure. Very bubbly friendly staff. Delicious banana and fudge muffin and good coffee, but could have been hotter. Recommend it as a good stop off. Opposite is the small heritage and visitors centre. And just along the road is a walkway down to and looping back along the river (45 mins) taking in the remains of the Redoubt (fort)

On our way from Karuma to Waitomo, we stopped for breakfast in Pirongia on Franklin road…read more We tried the first roadside cafe, we came upon (don't remember the name), but we weren't impressed with the menu or the seating. It was only then that we noticed "the Nest" next door. Not a very attractive building, we would have easily overlooked it and we were hesitating to enter. But once inside, we were pleasantly surprised by the cheerful, slightly hipster vibe. The seating areas with ample room for small and bigger groups, comfy chairs and couches for having espressos and a pleasant sunroom. There even appeared to be some kind of picnic area complete with blankets and so on. We ordered our food at the counter and then seated ourselves in the sunroom. With the decor between antique, vintage and eclectic, the statement piece was definitely the giant antique copper / brass espresso machine by Elektra. A real beauty that I wouldn't mind owning myself. The business owner himself served at the counter and was good for conversation and interested in his customers. My husband ordered the scrambled eggs and I had the poached egg with avocado and the most delicious hashbrowns I have ever had. We both had capucinos too. The only thing I would have liked to see is a little more generous servings of bread. Maybe 2 slices per person instead of one. But, I have to say that when my husband asked for extra bread, the owner didn't charge him for it. The breakfast was served on warm plates (YES!!!!), tastefully plated, capucinos presented with coffee art. Both eggs and bread fresh and flavorful. We wanted to come back here the next morning, before driving back to Auckland to catch our flight, but why oh why weren't you open yet at 8 AM??? I had so much looked forward to a repeat of the day before, but alas, it was not in the cards..... Perfect breakfast place!

Cute little cafe on a blueberry farm. They feature products made with the very same blueberries…read moregrown there such as jams, spreads and even wines. Great spot for tourists too as they have mini containers of jams and wines that are perfect as souvenirs. I only wish that I bought more of everything. As for the service they were very pleasant and helpful. My parents had ordered what appeared to be sort of an eggs Benedict and they were pretty good. Since I had a ton to eat on the plane I decided to hold off eating and instead got one of their signature drinks. It was kind of like a blueberry lemonade with ice cream. Side note they also won the 2024 New Zealand Fruit Wine and Mead Award for the Table Fruit Wine category. I believe they had 2 different kinds; a dry and a semi sweet. I def recommend coming if you're ever in the area.

Had dinner here after we saw the menus online with df options. Had the tandoori chicken & the veg…read morebowl with the blueberry cider & ale. Must say the meals were phenomenal. Particularly the cider and the falafel. Staff was nice. Interior is gorgeous, so is the view. This was my favorite place to eat in NZ. Got the blueberry juices to go. Fair warning the sorbet turns your mouth blue.

Stunning, Yum & Fun!…read more The rare small NZ Café with a talented and passionate Chef and superb team in the food prep engine room. Looking forward to our next visit!

I have been coming at least once to this cafe for breakfast every time I am at Hamilton on business…read more- over 10 times. So, when I discovered they moved a bit down the road to a larger nicer locale I was expecting a better experience. But I was disappointed by the slow service. Now you seat at the table and they wait for you. But the waiter took too long to take my full order after getting my initial beverage order. And then I waited for 20 minutes and my order had not arrived. On top of that some items in the menu where not available as they run out of Hollandaise sauce. Looks like even if the place is bigger, they still have a little kitchen not able to serve the larger clientele, and they are disorganized. At the end they forgot of my orders and I left as I could not wait any longer for food. What a missed opportunity!

Great stop for breakfast in Hamilton! I loved the vegan breakfast plate (uncommoner) as there were…read moremany different aspects that came together well and were very filling. My partner loved the rosti Benedict as well. Tea selection was great and staff were very friendly

Great place, great atmosphere and great food. They had adequate vegan options and the food was…read moredelicious. I'd sure like to see more vegan options in the future. By the way, the coffee is delicious.

Delightful breakfast. We saw they marked items dairy free and we tried it out…read more Everything was cooked really well. The green dust garnish is green pea power. Coffee was pretty good too!

Atmosphere is friendly, and has relaxing vibe to it. It's a little confined, but there are enough…read moreseats at any one time to spread out a little bit, so I'm not complaining. The price isn't too expensive, but it's not a cheap eat out. Good for a "going-out" breakfast. During very busy days, service is above 7 minutes, but on average, it's a short wait; not too long. Hot chocolate isn't strong, and definitely isn't weak. Perfect milk:chocolate ratio. Coffee is exceptional, creamy and strong. Would definitely recommend for a morning coffee place, and isn't too expensive for drinks. Make sure you arrive before 10 and after 10:45 as the cafe is at its most busiest, and service is slow. 4 stars.

Okay not a bad place. Not a huge fan of their coffee, it has been hard finding coffee here in NZ…read more We came in and placed our order, seems normal for two people to pay a little over $30 for each meal total. I ordered their egg meal which I ordered poached eggs (2) served over Vogel with bacon. Well the bacon was long pieces, not so uniform. But they were soft like ham, with a semi sear. Was thinking more of crispy strips. Hubby got the french toast which came with bananas and bacon. He also got a long black, which at one place we were told a long black is like an americano in the USA. It seemed to be espresso served with cream and water. There were sugar pots on the table. We were missing salt and pepper. Staff were friendly enough.

We had the best breakfast here. I ordered the menu special, corn fritters and they were made…read moreperfectly. The coffee (cappuccino) was so nice I ordered two. The staff were very friendly and it had a great atmosphere and you could choose to sit inside or outside on the footpath which was nice. Lots of other people when we were there, it is popular. Will definitely be going back!

Great spot on the corner of a Duke and Victoria. Sunny outdoor seating and also screened in area…read more Tiny inside. Broad menu. We had chicken pad Thai which was good, generous scrambled eggs and 7 grain bread. Heard people at next table ordering burgers and a spicy chicken.

We were looking for a place to stop halfway to Waitomo and found Paddock in our search. We decided…read moreto give them a shot for lunch as Cambridge was the perfect pit stop. It's right next door to GelatAmore. The place was packed for a Friday (around noon) but there's plenty of seating inside and outside on their patio. You line up, order and pay at the counter. Then you're given a bottle with a number as your order. There's self serve filtered water in the back. The menu is up on the walls; eggs & brekkie stuff (all day), best ugly bagels, jaffles, Paddock burgers and other stuff. For drinks, there was coffee, iced, freshly squeezed juices and Paddock smoothies. There was a few display cases filled with pastries, fritattas and salads. - Boysenberry doughnut ($4.00 NZD) - we'd read that their doughnuts were "next level". Not the case. The doughnut was nothing special. - Smoked salmon, beetroot, cress, pickled shallots and jalapeño crème fraiche ($18.00 NZD) - eggs were soft and fluffy but for me, it was a lot of egg to eat. The beets were excellent as was the smoked salmon. A little too much crème fraiche but that's nitpicking. Beautiful presentation. - Smashed avocado, fresh basil pesto and poached egg ($14.00 NZD) - I've never understood the hype on smashed avo but I think I might get it now. Terrific! The sesame bagel was a perfect vehicle for the creamy avocado. The basil pesto was an excellent addition. I'll have to try that next time I make my own avocado. Poached egg was oozy. - Bacon buddy - streaky bacon, fried egg, tomato relish and aioli ($14.00 NZD) - my dad ordered this for himself. He combined the two bagel slices to make himself a bagel sandwich. Good place for brunch. Come for the ugly bagels and drinks.

Great place for a quick stop with tasty breakfast and what looks to be a good lunch. Full coffee…read morebar and great seating outside and indoors! If your traveling on this road consider stopping for a coffee or a bite to eat! Nice and friendly staff!

A quirky cafe. The menu is fairly standard but we chose cabinet fare as we wanted quick and…read moresmallish. Also we were curious to try a couple. Mr had the focaccia melt with meatloaf and Mrs the tarakihi turnover. The coffee came very quickly and the meals not far behind. Both were heated and served with salad. The meatloaf sandwich was deemed very nice. The bread was tasty. The fish calzone was unusual for including tomato and beans but it all worked surprisingly well. A fun selection of gifts for sale and reading glasses to borrow in case you have forgotten yours made a nice experience.

In a country surrounded by aesthetically and tastefully pleasing wineries, the Zealong Tea Estate…read morewas a surprisingly wonderful alternative for us non alcoholic drinkers. We arrived here around 2pm and caught the last tea tour and tasting (lucky us!!!). Our tour guide took us around the entrance of the tea estate, stopping by each statue to explain the history of tea. Personally, I had never really thought about what went into producing tea leaves so this was a great history lesson! At one point, we were even able to pick some tea leaves! For the tea ceremony/tasting, we were able to sample 5 different teas in a traditional tea ceremony serving. Our tour guide explained the proper way to pour tea with the perfect temperatures and soak times for each of the teas. We sample green tea, 3 oolong teas and an English breakfast black tea. Each had a story behind it and had their own intense tea flavor. After the tea tasting, we opted for the high tea time. This was the husband's first time doing high tea and he and I both absolutely loved it! For the price, the high tea was highly worth-tea. It came with 3 tiers of delicious small bites (7 savory and 4 desserts), and I enjoyed all except maybe 1 or 2 bites. Some of the bites included a teriyaki tofu cube, chicken empanada, shrimp and green tea cake. Each high tea also comes with a tea of your choice! I chose the Fire and Ice and it was quite refreshing. The service from the waitress, front desk staff and tour guide were all impeccable. Each person made you feel welcomed to ask questions and have a truly enjoyable experience. We actually came a bit late to our tour so missed the 10 minutes of video presentation in the beginning but our tour guide generously arranged for us to watch the video in a private showing after our tea tasting. This was fantastic customer service! Overall, this was a tea-lightful time for tea lovers all over the world! If you come, splurge and do high tea!

We've been to many vineyards and orchards, but this was something new. A visit to a Tea Estate was…read moresomething we had never contemplated before. Unfortunately, there weren't tours operating when we visited, however, the wonderful hostess in the shop took quite a bit of time with us. She talked about the history, the tea making process, proper ways to brew different types of their teas, and we enjoyed a wonderful sampling. While I'm sure the tour is phenomenal, even this experience was fantastic. There are so many to love, but if we had to pick our favorites, it would be Zealong's Own Grey, Lady Gatsby, Fire & Ice, and Ice Breaker. This was for sure one of the highlights of our trip -- especially my wife, who is a tea enthusiast. We bought enough to fill a roll-aboard bag bag to take home. We order Zealong teas online whenever we can for shipment back to the USA.