Little gems for family foodie day out or flavour feast in New Zealand

"A mere 40 mins from central Auckland and we were winding our way down lovely back country roads ( simple well signed posted turn off from the motorway north). A couple of k's and we found the Puhoi Cheese Shop & cafe. OMG KUDOS Puhoi Cheese. I'm very impressed and as for the cheese. Fabulous.. I bought 3 and got 1 free ( thank you for the voucher)... what amazing cheeses.. We bought a 6 year old parmesan ( OMG), a blue, and two quite different bries. Fabulous fails to describe them and not too pricey. I paid $27 for 3 good chunks. The cafe had some to die for looking ice cream selections.. a limited lunch menu (divine baps & filled rolls, salad & homemade pie. It was 3pm so we may have missed the good stuff). I'm sure it wont be long till they add a cooked selection. Best part is you can eat lunch while watching them make the cheese. The setting is lovely with a large fountain in the little river nearby, an excellent playground for childtren and large run-around areas. What a gem for a Sunday country drive."

"We have been here several times and find it a great experience with the kids and Ive never seen kids eat so many green beans! Theirs are the best. We know now what to order and for under $100 we all have to waddle out with loosened belts. Our family favourites are : their signature prawn spring rolls, sweet & sour pork ( best in Auckland) , green beans, pork & prawn steamed dumplings, battered squid, dim sums, crispy duck ( not as good as expected but tasty), and sometimes pork buns. Yum… now I’m craving it again."

"As far as family foodie experiences I has to add this place as my kids insisted. Its great even for little kids becuase it teaches them about mixing flavours - oils, sauces, meats & veges and they can experiment over & over at no extra cost. (I hear management growling at me …) What better way to teach young & old about the diversity of tastes and flavours… especially spices.. all or a very reasonable price. Well we love this place and you can always finish with a Mickey mouse shaped pancake!!"