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.

I called Sugarplum Cake Co. about a week before my son's 3rd birthday. The employee who took my…read morephone call was really helpful and helped me plan an order of mini cupcakes to take to my son's day care center for his birthday. We kept it pretty simple, vanilla cakes and chocolate icing, but the employee made the best suggestion - mini dinosaur sprinkles! My son loved them and they were a real hit with the kids in his class. I was very pleased with the helpfulness of the staff, the variety of cakes available and the prompt completion of the order (was completely ready for pick-up at our agreed upon time). I'm updating my review, as I've now ordered two birthday cakes from here, one for each of my son's birthdays. For the first, I saw a jungle themed cake on the company's Facebook page and asked them to create something similar for our party. I asked them to make it smaller, asked for specific animals and they were happy to accommodate the requests. The cake turned out more beautiful than I could have hoped for and all the guests commented on how great it tasted as well. On that occasion, I also ordered 10 cupcakes (because it was a party with a lot of 1-year-olds, so they each got their own cupcake). These were delicious as well. Finally, I've just recently ordered again for my other son's fourth birthday. We went into the shop and he got to pick out his decorations (Mickey and Minne Mouse). Again, we just asked for a "Mickey and Minnie" cake and it turned out beautifully. This one was again, super tasty and all the guests loved it. On this occasion, I also ordered one gluten-free cupcake for one of the children in attendance. He loved it! This is now my go-to place for cakes and cupcakes. I've ordered from them 3 times and haven't been disappointed on any occasion.

Quaint spot on the main highway to stop to pickup an excellent, authentic homemade pie. Steak and…read morecheese was so good my husband had to go back for another, while I enjoyed a spinach quiche that really hit the mark. Also a selection of sweets and drinks. Not much room to stop and eat-in, but perfect to grab and go.

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.

Excellent pastries and solid bread…read more The selection was a bit slim after a busy Sunday morning, so I recommend going early on the weekend if you want to have the best choices. We got focaccia, along with ricotta and nuttella pies (like a cupcake). Both were delicious! The focaccia went well with the local olive oil, and the pies were amazing. Really moist, send perfect with a cup of coffee. Excited to see what is available tomorrow, when we plan to go early! Note they are closed on Tuesdays.

Sorry if you are gluten free because that means you cannot sample the most delicious breads and…read morepizzas on Waiheke Island, probably in the world! The fresh aroma of baking lured me in on this Saturday and I was warned that the bread buns still may be hot as they'd just come out of the oven. Well they were still warm when we got home and simply stunning with our lunch fillings. Their pizza and foccacia breads are 'to die for' and sold in slabs like back in the old country (Italy I'm talking about). If you want great artisan bread, shop here because it is the real deal. Watch the bakers in full action as the stoves and workers are in full view of the cash register.

Amazing steak and cheese pie , prices understandable for the high quality and delicious foodread more

We stumbled on this amazing cafe driving to Rotorua from the Coromandel Peninsula. It's literally…read morethe only cafe/bakery in town so we were among mostly if not all locals. There is a huge selection of freshly made pastries, sandwiches and various other hot foods. If that's not enough they offer a menu of hot breakfast and sandwiches. We ordered the hot rib eye sandwich and a couple of meat pies. Everything was fresh and delicious. PROS: Fresh food Meat pies Rib Eye sandwich Lolli cakes Supporting local business Small town cafe Prices CONS: Must be passing through to get here.

The food there was horrendous. My family and I went to this store and got some cabinet food, we got…read morepies a seafood salad and chips and chicken nuggets. In the pies there was not a lot of meat,no gravy and ALOT of Gelatin it resembled cat food. The chicken nuggets and chips look as if they've been there for a couple of days, not baked freshly, The tomato sauce,barbecue sauce and mayonnaise that was on it was congealed, The chips were dry and tooth breakingly hard.The chicken nuggets weren't even warm, they were cold and felt like they've been reheated in the microwave a couple of times, and tasted like cardboard. The seafood salad was tasteless and the crabmeat wasn't even mixed in. The worker who served us acted like she hates her life.

So many choices of pies, and the pastry is deliciousss. Great set-up with a self-serve line for…read morecold items. We tried several different pies and they were all fantastic. Also tried a couple dessert slices. Prices are great, too!