Tucked away on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island, Tauranga quietly gets on with life. With one of New Zealand’s best beaches, incredible surfing, beautiful walks, great fishing, and mountain biking, people flock here from all over to enjoy this incredible, chilled out piece of paradise.
Tauranga is about a three-hour drive from New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland. Close enough to easily get to when the big city gets too hectic, but far enough away to have its own identity. This place has embraced its natural beauty and surf-town roots to develop a very unique coffee scene. The approach isn’t “too-cool-for-school” or clinical, but rather, it’s more laid-back and inviting, consistently delivering excellence in an approachable fashion. This is specialty coffee—without the anxiety of feeling like an outsider.
The common thread that is woven throughout the coffee scene here is a concept from Māori culture, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, called manaakitanga. It means to extend hospitality, kindness, and generosity to others. Walk into any coffee spot in Tauranga and you’ll understand what this means when you are greeted with an amazing welcome, smiles, and genuine love.
Some of the best coffee in Tauranga isn’t actually found in a traditional cafe setting. It’s found in surf shops, seaside stores, shared office spaces, and pizza joints. To limit a coffee tour just to “cafes” would mean you’d miss out on what the Tauranga coffee scene is really about.
Part 1: Tauranga Central
There are two distinct coffee scenes across the city. Tauranga Central is home to the main business district, university and civic center. A compact area that is easily explored on foot, bike or scooter, with spectacular harbour views, a rich history, and open green spaces to relax.
Mt Zion Coffee
Mt Zion Coffee is the shining light of the Tauranga coffee scene. A small and cosy space, Mt Zion has built a community based around exceptional coffee, great food, and amazing hospitality. As you step into Mt Zion, you’ll feel like you’ve just been reunited with a long lost friend. A beaming smile and a booming “hello” greets you and makes you feel right at home.
Mt Zion slings shots using Grey Roasting Co coffee, roasted by 2024 NZ Cup Taster’s Champion, Dove Chen. Quality roasted coffee paired with an incredible barista means the coffee is always on point, whether it’s a flat white, long black, or filter.
Alongside the standard coffee options, Mt Zion also boasts a revolving line up of other great New Zealand roasters. The selection means there is always something new to try in store, or to take away to brew another day. But Coffee isn’t the only way to treat yourself at Mt Zion. They have a small but perfectly formed selection of treats to keep the hunger pains at bay, including homemade cinnamon scrolls and toasted sandwiches.
Folk Coffee Roasters
Situated in the foyer a co-working office space, Folk Coffee Roasters has embraced the industrial vibe of the building and created a warm, welcoming and busy cafe that is worth spending some time in.
In their own words, Folk is “captivated by the idea that coffee is more than a morning routine; it’s a bridge to unite one another.” This idea is successfully woven throughout their approach to roasting and thrives in their cafe where they cater for all the wonderful characters the coffee world produces, united by the pursuit of an amazing cup of joe.
A bench table in the middle of the cafe invites people to sit, mingle, and share a great coffee experience together. As people take sips of a delightfully made single origin flat white, or a “super” natural cold brew (because “‘supernatural’ sounds better”) you can hear the joy people are experiencing, you can see the excitement on their faces. Tasting notes are compared and recommendations for other coffees are shared.
Folk have a great selection of their coffees on offer, including a range of funky single origins that will take you on a bit of a flavor adventure.
Excelso Coffee
Nestled in between car mechanics and panel beaters is Coffee Lane, where you’ll find Excelso Coffee.
Excelso is an oasis in the semi-industrial desert of this area. It’s only a five-minute walk from the heart of the city–but it might as well be a world away. They’re one of the originals in the Tauranga coffee scene, with an incredible reputation of producing fantastic coffee and excellent baristas.
The vibrant green of the indoor plants on the wall contrast nicely with the corkboard panelling and polished concrete floors to create an inviting space that encourages you to sit, talk, and relax. From the right spot in the cafe, you can see the roastery in action. You’ll get lost in the meditative movement, sound, and smell of the roasting process. Coupled with the buzz of conversation, you quickly realize you’re not just drinking a cup of coffee, but really experiencing something more.
Excelso has a big range of coffee on offer, with at least nine different options available for espresso, filter, batch brew, or to bag up and take away. Pair that with a great selection of sweet treats, toasted sandwiches, and smoothies on offer, you’ll be absolutely spoilt for choice.
Lloyd’s Deli and Pizzeria
Lloyd’s Deli and Pizzeria is a vibe. The decor, photo wall, hip-hop and soul on the sound system, and the happiest crew of baristas all help to create a high-energy and exciting place.
Lloyd’s is a bit of a wild card in the coffee scene, as it is primarily a pizza joint in the traditional New York style. Past the beautiful matte black La Marzocco espresso machine you’ll see a busy kitchen of chefs tending to rack after rack of pizza ovens. While it would be very easy for a pizzeria to have coffee as a second thought, it takes pride of place as the first item on the menu. They care as much about coffee as you do. A selection of blends and single origin coffee from Folk Coffee Roasters and Grey Roasting Co means there is something for everyone, whether your vibe is black, white, batch, or pour-over.
No matter what time you visit, Lloyd’s has something for you. Come in the morning and grab a V60 and a salted caramel cookie. Roll on lunchtime and stay right where you are and order a flat white and slice of their famous pepperoni. Once the coffee shakes have finished, you might as well grab some batch brew and a 16″ pizza to take away for dinner. You deserve it.
Part 2: The Mount
The second distinct coffee scene can be found in Mount Maunganui, known to locals as “The Mount.” The Mount is the home of surfing in Tauranga, with 125 kilometers of coast providing endless opportunities to get in the ocean. The outdoors and surf influence has helped create a fun and vibrant coffee scene.
Special Mention Cafe
Special Mention is tucked away in the Arataki neighborhood of The Mount, far enough away from the busyness of the main town center to totally unwind and feel relaxed. Special Mention feels like home, with welcoming baristas, friendly locals up for a yarn, and a relaxed, chilled vibe. There’s plenty of space inside to hang out, or find a spot in the cosy outdoor area. Bright orange Trumpet vines growing on the walls amplifies the homeliness of the place.
On the coffee front, creamy, sweet, and velvety flat whites await. If spro isn’t your jam, they’ll have something excellent on the batch brew, and cold brews will take the edge off the heat.
Hungry? Special Mention has got you with a great menu from breakfast to dinner. For a quick snack, you can’t go past the scrumptious crumpet—thick and covered in honey and butter which manages to be indulgent but also delicate and light.
If hearing the waves pound on the beach is giving you itchy feet, grab a loan cup from the basket and go for a walk with your coffee–just drop back the mug after you’ve recharged your vitamin D.
Tay Street Store
Tay Street Store is cool and embraces its position on one of the more popular surf breaks along the coast—the imaginatively named “Tay Street break.” It brings together locals out on their walks in the sun, surfers fresh out of the waves, and cool kids who know where it’s at.
The coffee is great. Creamy flat whites, long-blacks that are sweet and bright, and mochachinos strike the right balance between coffee and chocolate.
If the coffee is the bait, the food is the hook. Tay Street Store has an amazing range of toasties, sweet treats, and ice cream. The medi toasted sandwich is a highlight, with grilled capsicum, halloumi, pesto, and spinach. Perfectly toasted so the halloumi has that great “squeak” it’s famous for.
There’s a few seats indoors but the best seat in the house is outside in the sun. Either on one of the high tables or right under an umbrella on the stairs with the locals. The local dog crew are also catered for, with Tay Street Store offering treats to keep them entertained (and refueled after all the pats they get). It doesn’t take many people for Tay Street to be buzzing with an amazing energy and vibe fueled by sun, sand, and salt—and coffee.
Mount Surf Shop
Okay, “surf shop” is a strange name for a cafe. But we’re in the heart of a surf-town, so it actually makes perfect sense. Once a surf shop that sold a bit of coffee on the side, Mount Surf Shop aka as “MSS” is now a full fledged coffee destination.
Despite taking up the corner of a literal surf shop, MSS manages to pull off a great cafe vibe. There’s plenty of space to sit back and catch up with your friends about epic waves, hanging ten, and mad shakas (that’s surf slang for good times).
MSS brings an eclectic mix of people, from your local coffee lovers popping out for a flat white, to the surfing crew looking for a caffeine hit before their next wave. The coffee is supplied by the stalwart of the New Zealand coffee scene Flight Coffee. No matter what your coffee vibe is, you’ll be in for a great time. If that vibe is oat flat whites, you might as well just accept you won’t find better, anywhere.
MSS has you covered for all your takeaway coffee needs as well, with a great range of whole coffee, specialty instant, and canned cold coffees just waiting for a new home.
Three One One Six
Three One One Six merges great coffee with a location to die for. Sitting under Mauao, a dormant lava dome and very popular walk with incredible views, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more Instagram worthy spot for coffee. Three One One Six doesn’t take its location for granted, serving exceptional coffee with friendly baristas that will keep you coming back for more.
The best spot to soak it all in can be found on the outdoor seats in the sun, where you can watch paragliders ride the thermals down from the top of Mauao, groms (learner surfers) shred it in the water, and people playing volleyball or football on the golden sands of Main Beach.
The sun, surf, and sand vibes extend into the shop, where polished concrete and plywood shelves create a light space that just screams summer.
The coffee is provided by local roaster Little Drum Coffee. Little Drum Coffee can be found in many cafes around Tauranga, but no one serves it better than Three One One Six. There’s more than coffee on offer, with protein shakes, matcha, and kombucha ready to wash down one of the sweet or savory treats that you’ll need to fuel a day of adventures.
Anthony Bull is the creator of The Magic Roast and a freelance journalist based in New Zealand. This is Anthony Bull’s first feature for Sprudge.
