Waitomo Homestead — Restaurant in North Island

We went here to grab some coffee and bread, and maybe some souvenirs from Waitomo. But the moment I came and went to the counter to order, everyone ignored me. The 3 ladies at the counter, just chit-chat while preparing one coffee. No one even made an effort to glance at me. I was very near them and even said excuse me. But they made it look like I was invisible. I understand of course that they might be busy doing the coffee, or something else. But only 1 lady was making the coffee and the other 2 were already done with what they were doing and just continued chit-chatting. At least tell me something like "Be there in a sec or a few minutes". Like I'm the only in the queue and just 1 guy waiting for his coffee. After waiting for like almost 10 minutes with no one giving me attention, I was so embarrassed and left and just opted to buy some souvenirs (puzzles) instead and went to the souvenir counter. But it was shocking to me to experience the same thing. I said excuse me several times, but the 2 ladies in front of the computer totally ignored me. I was so upset we just left the place without buying anything. I am still shocked by what I've experienced here as an Asian lady. I hope it's not because I am Asian, but it's been happening more and more especially travelling to less populated Cities in...

Waitomo Homestead was where we headed to for lunch after our visit to Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Not only is Waitomo Homestead a popular rest stop for visitors to the Waitomo cave system, they are also known for their excellent pies!

We reached Waitomo Homestead just before the crowds arrived. Within, Waitomo Homestead is really spacious. There’s a small area in the entrance where souvenir is sold and within, there are alot of seats available – both indoors and outdoors…

This time, we ordered the minced meat pie ($4.5), ale steak and cheese pie ($4.5), pork spring roll ($8) and the banana shake ($7.5). The pies are still the best. Both pies had meaty pieces and we love the cheesiness with the ale steak and cheese pie. The meal was enjoyed with the nice lodge feel of Waitomo Homestead on the inside.

After our meal, we headed outdoors to enjoy the fresh air of the countryside while sipping on a draft beer of East India Pale Ale. A pint for $10 nett was not too bad…

For more details of this review, visit...

We stopped by for a late lunch (around 1500) after doing the Waitomo caves. Keep an eye out for the big apple. The parking area was quite big but looks to be shared with the fruit and vege store next door. The place was empty but it did have food available. The homestead has an information counter near the entrance with an open shop in the surrounding area. The cafe is located further back and it is quite large. There is also outdoor seating available to look out into the backyard. I didn't have time to stroll around the garden but it did look quite nice. What's interesting is that they have a bee hive located in the corner of the shop. They also have free Wifi in the area. The food consists of cabinet food but they also did have a menu. I grabbed a bacon and egg pie and that was quite nice. It was heated and came with a salad. They have a water cooler as well as cold...