Today we took a drive from Makatu where we're staying up to Rotarua. We had visited Rotarua a few times on our last trip here, so we didn't go do any of the tourist things. We just went up to sit around the lake and enjoy the view. It was a nice day, but it was a lttle uneventful until we stumbled across the "Belguim Cafe and Bar." We couldn't pass this up so we went in to investigate. The owner, Peter, was a little taken back when he asked Val what she would like and she turned around and asked him if they had either Karmeleit Triple or Westmalle Triple. Clearly she knows her Belgian beers and this scored points right away.

Seems Peter imports all of his own beer, of which there were a lot. No Karmeleit, but we did enjoy a Westmalle Triple and a Palm. According to Peter, Palm is the largest selling beer in Belguim. I have to admit, I had never heard of it, and we're traveled through Belguim. It was a tasty beer, but I still prefer Bush (Scaldis in the US). His beer list included many of our favorites, and we would like to have stayed longer, but we had an hour drive ahead of us.

After a couple of beers, some tasty chicken pate, and a little more conversation with Peter, it was time to head back to Makatu. On the way home, we decided to text message Angie, our host, to see if there was anything she needed for dinner. So picture this ... driving on the left hand side of the road, in a huge campervan, down a windy highway, after a couple of Belgian beers and trying to text message someone:) Not the smartest night of my life, but we made it safely.

Until next time, hoppy trails ,

Eric & Val