This popular restaurant is regarded as the best Asian Eatery in Hastings. If you like oysters try the crispy fried ones to start and the curries are pretty up there too.

If you’re passing through the seaside village of Ahuriri don’t forget to make a stop here for some wonderful Thai and Vietnam styled food. The fragrance of aromatic Thai herbs and flavoursome fresh produce make the most mouth-watering dishes from salads to spicy curries and stir fries. I am just loving the Thai Fish Cake entrée and Chicken Lemon Grass lightly sautéed in chilli.

Good tasty Thai food served up with a gracious smile on the promenade with excellent stir-fried seafood dishes ad its a good place to get a takeaway to eat picnic-style across the road.

You get to enjoy some good Thai food and get in some great views down the harbour as well. It’s a Laos/Thai fusion of tastes. They cope well with dietary requests and are a regular hangout for return visitors and locals. Try the sizzling and aromatic garlic prawns.

Some years back this Thai eatery was grandly bestowed with recognition from the Thai PM and it hasn’t changed too much and is churning out good tasty quality Thai. It has a local following and is a great place for lunch as well.

The talented Ben & Lucinda will always create a super-tasty vegetarian option. Actually no matter what your dietary request is I know they will go the extra mile to accommodate. I haven’t got a favourite. It’s all scrummy, tasty and super healthy. Ben says he tries “not to do the generic thing, but create something a little more refined”, based on gluten free, vegetarian and dairy free options, and on what’s in season. “There’s more flavour this way and you can actually taste the vegetable,” he says. Most of the food is organic and sourced locally from The Chefs Garden at Epicurean supplies grown at Waipatu.

This organic café, with an emphasis on nutritious food, is serving a “slightly spicy” Marque de Provence pumpkin with cashews and chilli through winter. There will be other daily choices too, and a takeaway Miso soup served with noodles.

This tasty indian has a myriad of vegetarian choices on their menu. Vege korma, biryani, paneer to name a tasty few. And my favourite palek paneer.

Bohemian Ujazi is vegan and vegetarian friendly and serves up tasty big plates and counter food. In fact they welcome anybody to their long line of sunny tables lining Tennyson Street.

It’s so hard to choose from Indigo’s superb award-winning menu. Vegetable Manchurian dumplings or share a mixed vegetarian platter for an appetiser and follow with a vegetable kadai or jaffrezi. I’ve never been disappointed.

Ethically grown, organic, wholefood menu, not entirely vegetarian but lots of options and I’m just loving all the fresh salads they serve up.

There’s always a healthy vegetarian option amongst their Asian-fusion based cuisine. For a boost of vitality you can’t go past the colourful Tay Street Energy Salad - rooted in a beetroot, carrot, chard, sunflower mix.

There’s not much along the Mount Main Beach restaurant strip for people who need a special diet. Thankfully Slowfish cater to gluten-free, dairy-free, arw and organic tastes. The cornfritters are very very yummy served with a avocado salsa and slow roasted tomatoes.

At only $10.80 for adults and $8.10 for kids this is a bargain for the family and lots of pools and spas to suit. A wonderful way to finish a day on the beach or walk around the base track.

Pay $15 and you’ll get half an hour on a stand up paddle. This is a fantastic way to experience the beautiful safe and sandy Pilot Bay and try your hand at this fastest-growing water sport.

For $10 an hour, it’s a great way to explore the beautiful Bay of Plenty. They offer a pick up service and in summer there’s a hire stand in Tauranga city. And with so many trails to choose from cycling around the Bay is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon, especially when the summer sun is blazing.

Marshall Animal Park’s 35-acres is a beautiful place to experience the ways of animals, from the biggest and smallest of the equine family - Clydesdales to miniature ponies and exotic emus and ostriches. Take a picnic and don’t forget to spend some time at Mclaren Falls. Adult entry to the animal park is $12, kids $6.

Find out the fascinating history of New Zealand’s kiwifruit and what makes the Bay of Plenty a perfect growing environment for this furry fruit. Adults squeeze in at $20, seniors $18 and kids $6 and for this you get a 40-minute KiwiKart Tour and the best part - to taste them.

Imagine immersed in ancient hot water in the middle of a rain forest next to a forest stream. All this absolute bliss for $12 adults and $6 for kids. And if you want to swim head to the lower and much larger pool.

There’s no excuse for not having fun if you forgot to pack the toys. There’s plenty of hire stuff at the Gisborne I-site that lets you enjoy fun activities for under $20. You can get your hands on fishing rods, skateboards, sleds, tennis racquets and boogie boards. Go on, get out this summer and enjoy it.

Challenge your family and friends and have a fun time right on Marine Parade for only $8.80 an adult them hop across to Gelato2U or Lick This for a well-deserved icecream.

It might be a tad over $20 at $28 for adults who want to swim but seniors can go for $5 so grab grannie and grandad or maybe mum and dad will just watch at $5. Guaranteed to be the best day forever. Opening in November for the season.

Get your mates, family or colleagues together for a cheap time out because you can get a couple of games under your belt for $20 and have a ball at the same time.

With eight big screens Rain Bar will be replaying all the main games from 10am and offering a ‘beer combo’ breakfast from the kitchen. They’ll open in the early hours for the Sunday final.

This popular hang-out has an application in to open for the majority of the RWC games so it should be all go and of course they’ll play all the best games throughout the day on the big screens.

The Mount local Irish gastropub has an application in to show some of the big games live on their big screen and of course they’re hoping Ireland will feature. There’ll be reruns shown throughout the day, along with an all-day breakfast and a snack menu.

There’s always a gig on here or something happening at the sport-supportive local Cornerstone Pub and with six TV screens they’re set to go. They’ll be opening early to show the big games so get down here, tuck into some bacon and eggs and support the All Blacks as they make history!

An English Pub sounds just like the right place to watch the pick of the RWC matches. Opening from 10.30am as usual with their usual all-day breakfast along with their yummy pub food the Crown & Badger will be replaying the main games on their big screen.