Sarah H.
Yelp
Let me set the scene for you all:
Beautiful, sunny day, I just biked 35 km through windy, steep Coromandel hills *cough* .. mountains? and then....on the horizon, right at a bend on SH 25, we fall upon Colenso Cafe.
Nope, not a mirage. But lovely little cafe with a sun-soaked seating area and legendary Orange Bran Muffins. Well, at least they were that day. Reason? Fresh.out.of.the.oven. You really can't get get better than that. Oh and those chunky pieces of sweet orange! I could not get enough. They were also giant, which helped the snack-devouring last more than 45 seconds.
So, yes, Colenso. It's a great place to grab a bite while in the Tairua/Whitianga area. The have a wide range of food, including a decent selection of vegetarian options, a large variety of freshly based muffins (see ode above), gorgeous coffee and even wine and beer. I also spied an Eggplant & roasted pepper soup last time I was here, which kind of sounds like a little slice of heaven.
There's also a little shop inside with chutneys, jams, honey, glassware, jewelry and local art for sale - definitely worth a peek.