Cafe Culture - Great Coffee, Great Cakes

I ain't nothin' but a hound log...

Forget the scenery, the activities, the wine...it is NZ's cafes that really steal the show! The Kiwi's have more cafes per head of the population than sheep*, or brands of pet food. They are mad for them. And so they should be. Their cafe culture is the most sophisticated and darn brilliant that I have ever come across. Think the most delicious cakes you have ever seen, the most inventive sandwiches with the freshest ingredients, healthy and not so healthy salads, breakfast food, pastas, gourmet burgers, seafood....and most of them are licensed too so they double up as cutesy, low key places to spend an evening. In a country where the cheapest way to eat is to stuff your face with burgers, fish and chips and pies, cafes are also reasonable  places to get a decent meal.

Perhaps the best bit about them is that they are all unique too, barely a Starbucks in sight. This is true of a lot of businesses in New Zealand, which are, in the majority, privately owned. Local chains are few and far between, leaving the franchise models to McDonald's and KFC and keeping the local joints fresh and individual.

* This might not be 100% accurate but it sure feels like it...