[leslie]

lets get urban, people. man cannot live by mountain views alone.

when i lived in nz there was a fun cafe called solla sollew that made great breakfasts. there was a v posh restaurant on the pier that had great food but unfortunately gave me the worst food poisoning in my life (do not eat fresh ceasar salad WITH UNCOOKED EGG in the hot nz sunshine). the sailing club was miles from the sea in the city centre and the childrens hospital was so nice i wanted to check in myself. the aquarium was the best i'd ever seen.

those were early days in the 'new world order'. there must be loads of cool stuff around and about... would those of you in the know enlighten those of us who don't by recommending city activities etc that eclipse the bog-standard...

[Moorf]

My favourite local haunt is the Cafe Rock on the beach at Sumner. Great menu and food (providing the seagulls don't get it first!). :laugh

Also, for great Indian food (small menu but food cooked brilliantly) go to Indian Sumner in, errr, Sumner! :nice1 Tell Vanda that Helen and Warren sent you... it won't get you a discount but she'll know I've been singing her praises!!

[Diny]

Leslie - what town/city were you in when you got the food poisoning?

A couple of my favourite eateries:

The Pepper Tree in Coromandel township. Really nice food - try the kumara chips - unusual. It gets abit busy during the day time but evening is really good.

Also .... if any of you find yourselves in Palmerston North and fancy a spot of lunch, hunt down a place called Barista. It's just a normal run of the mill coffee shop to look at but the food is to die for and the portions are MASSIVE !!!

Diny

[leslie]

it was the poshest rest't in auck - the then new one on the pier! what a learning curve that was. a less hardy soul would have been hospitalised...

i have eaten 10,000 ceasar salads in my day but that is the only one that nearly ate me.

[veronica]

Not a restaurant but there is a cafe in cathedral square where its worth a bit of time to have a coffee and people watch.

[Timbo]

Kuaotunu beach on the Coromandel. Next door to the general store is a tiny coffee hut called "LaLa Coffee" . Buy one Large cup and simply sit and watch the dolphins playing in the surf. Pure heaven. :nice1

[Jodie]

My fave brekkie/lunch cafe so far is the Chocolate Fish Cafe that sits on a tiny little beach by the harbour entrance in Welly. IIt's a cool little place that serves great cafe food and you can sit on the deck across the road that overhangs the beach on a nice day - eating the great food and staring out across the harbour to the rugged hills the other side. Excellent!

(Apparantly it's a favourite haunt of Peter Jackson too - I keep looking out for him every time we go but haven't bumped into him yet!! :laugh )

Jod

[Diny]

Peter Jackson?

[Jodie]

Yeah - NZ's most famous export nearly - the director of LOTR :mrgreen:

[captainxmas]

I do have a penchant for breakfast in the Olive Tree cafe in Wellignton, top of Cuba st.

The walls are covered in interesting paperback sculptures.

Also a great little cafe between Napier and Havelock North, name escapes me but it is brightly coloured and I think kind of veggie. Had delicious Salmon fish cakes topped with poached eggs and fab Rock Salt encrusted potatoes... mmm

:nice1

[kiwi]

I like Strawberry Fare in Chch (use to just be a dessert restaurant..now they do everything, but still people go just for their desserts)

and I like the crown plaza hotel ...their lounge area, to sit and have a hot choc and watch people ...and feel like a tourist! (choc biscuits are 50 cents...cheap as!)

They have a dance bar with a live band fri/sat nights...free entry and free lime and sodas (dont drink..and so lime and soda is my preferred 'tipple' couldnt believe it when they didnt charge me, only place in the world where they are free I think) so one cheap night I can tell you! Cant say I aint tight!! ha ha
Nicky

[Carol]

ohh...so many........


Probably ............no but hang on.........what about........oh no I prefer.....ummmmmmmmmmmm......oh dear.
You truly are spoilt for choice here!

[leslie]

do aucklanders go out? anyone? anything????

[macs gold]

The Ra Bar or one of the other plaza/sidewalk cafes in the Octagon, Dunedin.

Flax restaurant on the wharf at Mapua (Nelson region), the Boatshed restaurant on the seaside in Nelson.

One of the cafes on the steamerwharf in Queenstown, or maybe better still, the restaurant at the top of the gondola.

The Vietnamese/Thai one in Moray Place, Dunedin.

And best of all - the Riverside Commune cafe in Moutere valley (Nelson region). Or maybe one of the wineries in Queenstown, Wanaka, Nelson, Martinborough or Hawkes Bay.

Yep - theres a good choice alright.

[karltsmith]

Art Ducko at Waiake near Torbay, Long Bay Resturaunt for a lunch on a fine day on the deck overlooking the deep blue and stroll along the many eateries along Mission bay! Haven't found a good authentic Indian yet though...so i'll stick to cooking my own! There are some weird ideas of indian curry's over here!

[NoelMC]

Herzog winery and restuarant, jeffries road blenheim.
The most expensive meal I have ever had in the southern hemisphere.

But what a wine list, it was at least 2 inches thick!!

We were staying at the Vintners retreat, a few miles down the road, so the Chef took us home in his car, what service!

[mattford]

rakino's on high street in auckland is pretty funky. it's just up the road from a really good internet cafe too - the net central cybercafe on high street.

have to admit, since arriving in NZ a mere 6 weeks ago i am already converted to the way they serve coffee here. the "flat whites" are just delishious... :)

matt

[Tate6]

I have yet to travel to NZ (hopefully moving there by the end of this year!), but my sister was there in the fall and had pics from an outdoor cafe in Akaroa. The view out to the beach from there was so peaceful and wonderful!! That is one place I will seek out.

And by the sounds of it, there are enough of these great places to keep one busy for years!! I hope to be able to frequent them soon!!

Terry

[Dave & Sandra]

There is a British type pub called the Jolly Good Fellows that does good food on the main road facing Lake Taupo and this is the view with Mount Ruapehu in the distance.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/sandracastree/Forum/LakeTaupo.jpg

We went up there for the day to celebrate my birthday.

[Tate6]

Yes!! :yes
That's what we need!!! Some visual stimuli to keep us going!!

More, more, more........ :angel

Terry

[Dave & Sandra]

Sorry - forgot to say the pub is actually in Taupo :oops:

[Timbo]

You asked Terry. No pub.No shop. No people. Heaven on the Coromandel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/pengy2/NewZealand034.jpg

[RoadRunner]

Wow, those pics are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.

[Pakeha Boy]

Wo, Timbo.............
you can just about see our next house from there :nice1


Top photo Sandra, soon be winter, we'll have to have a weekend ski-ing up on Ruapehu. :cheers

[Timbo]

PB. I cant remember the name of the beach, but you can only get to it by boat/horse/shank`s pony. Unless you own a quad bike.....hmmmm.
We walked in through the reserve at Kuaotunu, just North of Whitianga. It took 2 hours each way, and of course, we never saw another soul. You are right in that there are a couple of Bachs on the beach, but it is unfortunately private land, so not much chance of living there.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/pengy2/NewZealand046.jpg
This was the view from my bed last March. Cool eh.

[Timbo]

In case anyone is thinking of heading up that way, I can highly recommend the lodge that we used. Great setting,great hosts, lovely dog.

http://www.kuaotunubay.co.nz/

[Tate6]

Wonderful!! Wow, THAT is paradise!! :yes

I can hear the surf and smell the fresh sea air!

Keep 'em coming!!

Terry

[sarahw]

I'm with Captain Xmas on the Olive Tree Cafe in Cuba Street, Welly.

For restaurants - the most beautiful restaurant I ever went to was called Sugar Reef at Waitangi just next to the Copthorne hotel (this was a year ago so not sure if its still called that now) - its actually a boat which is on dry land - the deck is a really cool bar with sofas & easy chairs & the galley is a very intimate restaurant - you have to book but it served fantastic food & the end of the evening was a bit fuzzy as I'd drunk so much - ah memories! :cheers

[Moorf]

Hey Timbo.. did they allow dogs to stay?

[Timbo]

That is a good question Moorf. We obviously did not take our old girlon holiday, so I didnt have to think about it.
If you go to the web site, just drop Lorraine an e-mail. The dog in the photos is the family worker/pet. He managed to wangle his way into staying in the unit we were using for about 80% of our stay. On our last day there, Bill, our host politely informed us that "Fitz lives in the garage, and not really meant to go indoors"
Whoops!! :oops:

[Moorf]

I'll contact them.. thanks... their website looks nice too :P Nice find!

[Timbo]

I have dropped them a line and asked on your behalf.
They do B& B in the house, but also have a lovely unit above the garage block. so it is possible they would allow dogs in that. I will let you know.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/pengy2/NewZealand006.jpg

This should give some idea of the size of the unit. It takes up the whole of the upper floor level.

[Moorf]

Thanks Timbo :nice1

[Timbo]

The answer is no unfortunately. Although they love dogs, and have tried to accomodate them a couple of times, it simply has`nt worked out.
I suppose they do have to consider other guests staying who may not be the same way inclined.
Looks like you and Woz are going to have to but a tent. :laugh

[Moorf]

Funny that you should mention a tent... :uhoh

Totally surprised Woz the other day by asking if we could do a weekend walk and take a tent etc :eek

[annaerb]

My Favourite Indian is in Manukau City, Auckland Called Sangeets
Favourite Thai Restaurant is in Medowlands near Howick called the Ruin Thong.

[Radders]

Two small fish inthe Mount is fab, and I'm not just saying that because my friends own it! Ifr you love fish it's THE place!
Sawadee at top of Ponsonby in Auckland is a great Thai place.