Catch the Bus for great coffee

It’s all in the name. Te Horo’s Bus Stop Cafe is a cafe, in a bus, where you stop. And it’s where, if you have any sense, you stay to spend some time, enjoying the food and the coffee as well as the quirky retro ambience and the company.

After all, it’s highly unlikely that you have come across it by chance. You’ve taken some effort to track it down and drive out to it after being reluctantly let into the secret by smug locals. Surrounded by farmland, it’s about 500 metres from the little town of Te Horo Beach, itself quite remote on the Ka¯piti Coast.

You park near the road, then walk along a neatly planted winding path to the garden, where the focal point is an oldfashioned bus, converted into a coffee bar/cafe.

Why go?

Because why wouldn’t you want to drink a flat white inside a pretty 1964 blue and white Bedford, formerly a local school bus? Its destination window says ‘‘Special’’ because that’s what it is.

Inside, you’ll find proprietor Kirsty Green busy in the kitchen, brewing coffee and plating customers’ choices from a mouthwatering selection of bakery treats. The doughnuts are a particular triumph.

There are more substantial items on the menu too, so it’s a great place to head for a tasty and freshly cooked lunch to eat under an umbrella at one of the outdoor tables, inside the airy summer house, or under the cut-off roof of another old-fashioned bus.

If you’re just there for a coffee and cake, it’s fun to sit inside the bus where the vibe is friendly and sociable.

Insider tip

Children, dogs and even horses, if that’s your mode of transport, are welcome – it’s that sort of place. Be sure to buy a jar of the lemon curd if you see some. Drive there carefully, because it’s entirely possible you will pass someone on the road out walking their shetland pony like a dog.

On the way/nearby

Now you’re in a foodie frame of mind, head inland to Ruth Pretty Catering, where you could learn to cook like Green, eat more delicious food on site, or browse through all the tempting kitchen equipment in the shop.

If you want more contact with horses, the Te Horo Equestrian Centre offers horse and pony rides, whatever your level of ability, as well as lessons, treks up the hills for great views, or on to the beach. There’s even peaceful and comfortable farmstay accommodation in a converted milking shed (for you) or paddock (for your horse). There are peacocks and tame cows and sheep to pet, too.

How much?

Apart from a degree of effort required to find the cafe itself, the offerings are all reasonably priced.

Best time to go

The cafe is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9am-3pm, every week, but closed on public holidays.

Go early if you want to be sure of doughnuts.

You will find the Bus Stop Cafe at 55 Sims Rd, Te Horo Beach. Visit busstopcafe.nz.