New Zealand

So I know I said Maketu Pies were good but since then I have tried a fair few more. One of the latest award winning Pie shops (cause you can't have enough pie shops) is Patricks Pies in the Bethlehem strip mall. Mince and Cheese = YUM.

Must stay place for visiting the southern Taupo Lake and mountains is Ika Lodge right on the edge of the Tongariro river
Amazing food and huge breakfasts and a good fishing guide make this a must stay www.ika.co.nz

Grindz in Tauranga on 1st Ave make great food but best of all awesome coffee. They also sell coffee beans or ground from Fusion but I always get a fresh flat white in the morning.

Catellis Motel & Conference Centre in Taupo is a place I found online when planning a trip to Taupo to go skiing and hang out with family. It won a trip advisor award and another award for best place to stay. They told us they are moving through the rooms redecorating which is a good thing as while the rooms are fine and you can't complain it will be even nicer with a fresh lick of new. The rooms were a good size, the place clean and pleasant and they have all the mod-cons.

Imagine abseiling in to a cave, taking an underground 'flying fox' even further and then jumping on a black inner tube with a wetsuit on and finish it with a bit of walking through caves older than your grandma. That is the awesomeness of black water rafting. I only know of it in Waitom, New Zealand but it may be in other places or countries.

Nothing freaky about this, just bloody good fun.

http://www.waitomo.com/black-water-rafting.aspx

Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to do as a tourist in Mt Maunganui or Tauranga. One of the best things you can do if the weather permits is walk around "The Mount" or Mt Maunganui as it is formally called. It really is a nice walk and the scenery is fabulous. If you have the energy then walk up The Mount. It is not that far but does require some level of basic fitness. The view at the top is brilliant and you can see across Mt Maunganui, Tauranga and Matakana Island.

This is one of the best retaurants I have ever been to. Food is great, service is good and the restaurant itself is sublime. If I lived in the Hawkes Bay I would save up regularly just to eat there. We arrived and were greeted well and offered to have drinks before dinner - we did and we were taken to the end of the Restaurant where an open fire and luxurious couches abounded. So nice.

If you are looking for a nice and not to expensive place to stay in Napier then Motel De La Mer is a great pick. The hosts (Gail and Jim I think?) are lovely. The Motel is quite small, only about 9 rooms but they are quite big rooms and really nice. I think they are quite new but of all the hotels/motels I have stayed in the last 12 months (which is a lot) they are the nicest. Spacious, flat screen TV's and a spa bath next to the bed which sounds weird but works awesome.

I also had to work and they have wireless internet which was great.

If your in Auckland and need food and you are near Mt Eden Rd then find Al Volo Pizza. It is on the Cnr of Nikau St and Mt Eden Rd. They look like the just opened when we were there but maybe it was a refurbish. They have a really nice wood fired pizza oven and a great Menu. From the accents I would say the owner was Italian.

Chances are you might be going to the Powerstation for a Gig or the Kings Arms Tavern. Both are close although Powerstation is super close.

Seriously good wood fired, fresh, tasty pizza.

Found their website.
www.alvolo.co.nz

How to say hello in Maori - I always find the locals where I visit like to be welcomed in the native language. In New Zealand the native language is Maori and this is how you say Hello, or Hi.

Kia Ora (pronounced - Key Or-Ra)

In New Zealand (NZ) it really can be 4 seasons in one day although Global warming is certainly boosting the Summer temperatures.

Anyway - I thought it might help people traveling to New Zealand to know the seasons and what to pack.

Summer, between December and March is warm and doesn't seem to rain much. Perfect for a surfing holiday or summer mountain hiking and caming. Can get some really good Lord of the Rings scenery hikes in here.

It can be frustrating in New Zealand trying to find places that have wifi for your laptop. There are quite a lot of internet cafes but not always where you need them or with wireless connections for your own laptop. In Bayfair there is a coffee chain called Esquires Coffee and the will give you a free 1 hour wifi card to use. You can also keep these, so if you are not going to use it they often stay valid for about a month (if you are staying around that long!)

This isn't an advert for the shop. I only mention it as I travel with my guitar and from time to time need strings, or picks etc. In fact I needed a case once after the airlines destroyed it. And once I was travelling with my Violin and the hair on the Bow just all collapsed!

The Rock Shop in Rotorua is part of a chain and on the whole the chain is pretty average. Lot's of cheap stuff which is good for learners and school kids. If you want some serious gear and good advice speak to Daryl Cogger. Top bloke.

I think London has a few Shopping Malls but this is new, shiny and has a few decent shops and restaurants including wagamama. It has plenty of parking and you can get the bus there. The website has a store finder on it which will do a better job than me but I know it has a baby factory, warehouse, dick smiths, borders, esprit, portmans, dotti, mooks, colorado, just jeans etc etc etc

http://www.sylviapark.org

It seems weird to recommend a Butchers as a travel tip but this guy is probably one of the best Butchers in New Zealand IMO. Doug (Doug Jarvis Butchers Papamoa) is actually English so you can get a few home treats if you are an expat. and the cleanliness of the Butchers Shop is top notch. Get down there if you are having a BBQ or want some decent Sausages etc. I have only been about 2 times but have eaten his food many times at others.

The Shop is on Parton Rd, Papamoa which isn't that hard to find as it is in some shops at the front of industrial units.

If you're in New Zealand and looking for a place to get away for a few days, consider Breakfast on the Beach on Waiheke Island. It's a five-bedroom luxury bed and breakfast that is simply stunning. Big bedrooms with all mod cons that overlook the beach (they're not quite on the beach, but there's only a narrow road separating them and the beach itself). Keith and Marilyn are excellent hosts, and stop at nothing to make your stay fantastic. We'll be coming back.

I might be wrong, but this is the only Chinese restaurant we could find in Tauranga that serves dim sum at lunchtime. What I found most interesting about this restaurant is that they make all their own dim sum. Most of the dim sum than I'm used to is bought premade and then steamed fresh for service. This gives this Chinese restaurant a unique flavour as it clearly uses local produce and meat.

It fresh, if not a little different to what we were used to eating in London and Hong Kong. Would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Tauranga.

There is a little secret spot. Not as secret as it used to be but still quite secret. There is alot of thermal activity between Rotorua and Taupo. Boiling mud, hot water lakes and hot water streams. There is one hot water stream that all the locals know you can swim in called Kerosene Creek. It's not super easy to find but here is the low down.

1: Don't put your head under the water - there is meant to be a bug in it that drives you mad or something...I'm sure it's not that bad but don't.

1.2: It's FREE!!

2: It's on Old Waiotapu Rd

Maketu Pies - Seriously the best thing I have tasted. Not super gourmet but tasty nonetheless. I had a Mince and Cheese pie which is popular in New Zealand overall and maybe Australia. The place is called Maketu Pies.

Maketu is not that big so easy to find.

Kina Restaurant (or Kina Cafe) - fresh tasty Pizzas and Pasta and the owners are great. Probably some of the best Pizza I have had full stop.

It is a quirky mix of old furniture and I wasn't expecting much last time I went as the ownership had change over the years but it still made a pretty super Coffee (Flat White). Attached Map.

If you are travelling to Rotorua for the first time most people will say go to Te Puia (which used to be called Whakarewarewa). This has become a real tourist trap over the years and is very expensive (currently minimum $40 pp). Instead go to Waiotapu which is currently $27.50pp and is 20 minutes drive south of Rotorua. Personally a better experience of boiling mud, sulphur and hot pools stuff.

Waiotapu - http://www.geyserland.co.nz/
Te Puia - http://www.nzmaori.co.nz/

If you are looking for a good coffee experience by the beach when you are in Tauranga or Mt Maunganui go to Slow Fish on Mt Maunganui Main Beach.

Slowfish
Shop 5 Twin Towers,
Marine Parade,
Mt Maunganui
NZ