This place has made lots of my "best of" lists on here, and I always seem to be recommending it, but is is such a great place. The best thing about Brew is that it was started by a local craft beer brewery called Crouchers, so when you drink here you’re sampling goods that were produced just down the road. I suggest ordering the tasting paddle to start and then go from there!

A newcomer to the craft bar scene in Rotorua’s thriving "Eat Streat" dining precinct, CBK offers the best in New Zealand Craft Beer, Wines and Cider along with great contemporary and comfort food served in a friendly atmosphere. Check it out now if you’re looking for a great new place to try.

This place is amazing! Not only do they have a HUGE selection of beers and ciders, but they have a great food menu… and a pool. Yes, that’s right, this pub has a POOL!

A Great little bar/cafe near Okere Falls with a great selection of craft beers. Also if you’re a beer-lover make sure you go to their annual Beer Fest, every October. Need I say more?

Considered one of Rotorua’s best pubs, Pig & Whitsle have the beers you’d expect, but also a sweet selection of the more unusual craft beers. Enjoy your brew in this historical building.

In my opinion Bloom Art are the most highly-skilled and contemporary florists in the Rotorua region. They have a plethora of skills in their repertoire; and specialise in high-end bridal floristry. Their portfolio is extremely impressive, jump online and check out their website, you’ll be amazed at the quality of their work,

Pamela has been creating stunning arrangements for over 40 years, so when you visit Rotorua Florist you can be assured you are getting quality flowers a a work of art!

This place is funky! They have some really interesting arrangements where they think outside the box, but they also offer the more traditional arrangements their your Grandma would ooh and aah over. They are also part of the Interflora network, so you can have your flowers delivered anywhere!

These guys specialise in modern, contemporary, avant-garde or classical arrangements for all occasions including weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, baby gifts, and corporate events. They deliver all over NZ too.

Joans Flowers pride themselves on being able to create the perfect bouquet for your special event. Pop in and chat to them about your needs and they will interpret what your want and create something magical and unique.

I’ve reviewed this space before, so I won’t go into detail. But this place is part-cafe, part-bar, part-gourmet food store… and well it’s pretty damn awesome. These guys strive for perfection in all the products they sell and their coffee is no exception.

Lime have won some awards for their little cafe, so you don’t have to just take my word for it. Their coffee is so tasty. They serve the very complex blend supplied by coffee roasters Vivace. Get in their now, this is definately one of Rotorua’s top cafes.

Quaint, cute and awesome coffee! This place is small but their coffee packs a punch. Their food is also great and they hire bikes… so if you overdose on their amazing coffee and feel a buzz coming on, you can grab a bike and go for a ride.

Great, great coffee! and I love it how they put little M&Ms as treats on the side. I always throw mine into my coffee so I have a chocolately surprise at the end. Zippy have been doing amazing coffee in Rotorua since the cafe boom in the 90s, so along with the famed Fat Dog Cafe, these guys are coffee making veterans.

This place was cafe of the year in 2011, and it’s still going strong. They use FREDS coffee which contains A Grade PNG, Colombian Excelso and Kenyan AA. Now that’s a killer blend. Head in their now and give it a taste test.

This place is super-stylish and I highly recommend it. It’s actually a hair salon but their have an onsite beautician and offer full beauty services including of course great manicures.

Super-friendly people, everyone here is passionate about what they do. They offer full nail services and also training in nail care.

Polish and Pamper are a great nail salon that provides gel manicures and pedicures using the Jessica Geleration system. Worth a visit!

This is a well-respected brand with quality control across all their systems. They specialise in acrylic and gel nails, spa pedicures and manicures with O.P.I or shella polish.

Great service and excellent aftercare advice. Nail Boutique offers a comprehensive list of nail-related services with an emphasis on quality.

The Fat Dog cafe is famous in Rotorua for it’s amazing atmosphere and it’s even more amazing food. The portions here are HUGE and their salads are no exception!

These guys do an amazing job creating fine dining quality dishes at cafe prices. They have a hug cabinet of salads from treasures such as the amazing Mediterranean Couscous Salad to the mouth-watering Kumara Bacon Orange Salad. Yum yum!

Following in the footsteps of Fat Dog; Zippy also offers giant-sized salads. My fav is the Marinated chicken salad, it’s mouth-watering goodness at it’s yummiest.

If you want something a bit different then Abracadabra Cafe & Bar is the place to go. These guys are open around the clock for food and the atmosphere is awesome. They offer a whopping six different salads, I’ve tried the spicy lamb salad and can honestly say it’s the best lamb salad I’ve ever had! This place focuses on middle eastern food, so you’ll notice that influence in their food.

Wow. Had the best salad her the other day. I’m not usually a massive seafood fan but my friend suggested we share their battered prawn and calamari salad… and boy I wasn’t dissapointed!

This was one of my favourite spots as kid. The lake is beautifully clear and blue. The water quality is great and as the lake is small and shallow the water is not as cold as other lake in the Rotorua region. The beach has nice sand for a lake and is not to stony. This is one of the most popular places for swimming and also other water sports like water and jet skiing. You can swim on the main beach near the camping grounds, but my suggestion (especially in the summer months) is to head to the lookout between the Blue Lake and Green Lake, then follow a little track down through the bus from the carpark to a small secluded beach.

This is a undiscovered little gem. Accessible only by foot or boat and now protected by the Department of Conservation, Te Rata Bay, or more commonly know as Hot Water Beach, is an awesome little spot on the shore of Lake Tarawera, beneath the gaze of the majestic Mt Tarawera. As the name suggests there are pockets of thermal activity on the beach, so you can dig yourself a little hot spa in the sand. There is also a popular DOC campsite where you can stay via donation.

This is a great beach if you don’t want to venture too far from the city, or don’t have transport (Hannahs Bay is accessible by bus or taxi). The reserve has a playground, picnic areas and a small wetland area with wildlife. The bay is popular for swimming and also water sports.

Matahi Spit is not as accessible as say Hannah’s Bay or the Blue Lake, but is is worth the little trip. It is located on the east side of Lake Rotoma and is Spit is popular for water sports events and swimming. The lagoon at the back of the reserve is a locally notable wildlife habitat.

Boyes Beach is similar (and not to far from) the Blue Lake. It also has clear, blue water and white sands. Located on Millar Road, Lake Okareka, Boyes Beach is particularly popular during the summer months for activities such as swimming and picnicking.