The balcony of The Reef Seafood Restaurant & Bar frames the beautiful view of Lake Wanaka We arrived in Wanaka late in the afternoon and after settling into our hotel we headed down to the lake for a lovely stroll.  There is a small strip of restaurants that face out over the

Apparently we weren't the only ones who got tired of waiting for our meal at the Blue Ice Cafe in Franz Josef, New ZealandIt was Valentine’s Day, so we headed out to the Blue Ice Cafe in Franz Josef.  Their lower floor was packed and we had to come back at a slightly later ti

The brightly colored interior of Priya Indian Restaurant in Franz Josef. Too bad the food was much less exciting than the color choices... It was Wendy’s birthday, so we treated ourselves to a great afternoon soaking and unwinding at the Glacier Hot Pools in Franz Josef.  When w

Peaceful, relaxed dining at The Lotus Heart - a great vegetarian restaurant right in Cathedral Square, Christchurch We had been in Christchurch for a couple of days and had already exhausted our guidebooks’ restaurant recommendations one way or another.  (Some we ate at, some wer

Topkapi Turkish Restaurant - family-friendly dining in Christchurch, New ZealandWe’d been at a Tweetup with fellow travel bloggers and suddenly realized it was quite late for dinner.  Topkapi Turkish Restaurant’s fast service soon had us tucking into some great food.  They’v

Outside The Flying Burrito Brothers - a great family-friendly Mexican restaurant in Christchurch, New Zealand We’d had a couple of places in mind when we set out to find dinner our first night in Christchurch.  Each one proved to be either too expensive, too crowded, or too zen f

The entrance to The Secret Garden, a fabulous restaurant in Blenheim, New Zealand After a great day spent happily tasting the Marlborough region’s fabulous wine, we headed out to dinner in Blenheim.  We’d been impressed with the area’s laid-back tranquility during the day but Ble

"Giapo - Genuine Italian Gelato" - a sweet treat in the heart of Auckland, New Zealand We had just eaten dinner at the very affordably priced E Chi Ban Cafe right across the street.  We started strolling back to our hotel when we spotted a gelato place across the street

E Chi Ban Cafe, a relaxed, family-friendly restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand E Chi Ban is a relaxed cafe which seems to serve just about everything.  You can get a specialty coffee at the coffee bar, get a fresh sandwich or order from a variety of Indian, Chinese or Thai meals.

Inside Tulsi, a great Indian restaurant in downtown Wellington, New Zealand Tulsi is actually a chain of Indian restaurants we saw in a couple of places in New Zealand.  In Wellington, they’re located right downtown in the central pedestrian area.  They have a reasonably pri