A la baguette is a bakery at 74 Rue Lavaud in Akaroa, on Banks Peninsula, holding a perfect 5.0 Google rating from 112 reviews, with updates posted to its Facebook page. The name suits its setting: Akaroa began as a French settlement, and a boulangerie feels right at home on Rue Lavaud.
In any French-style bakery, timing is the thing worth knowing. Viennoiserie — croissants and their kin — is at its best within hours of the oven, so morning callers get the flakiest layers, while loaves tend to emerge in batches through the day. A good croissant shatters rather than bends, a sign of real butter and careful lamination. And in a small harbour town that swells with day-trippers, the popular lines rarely last to late afternoon, so asking what came out of the oven last is never wasted.
Find A la baguette on Rue Lavaud, in a town that still wears its French heritage plainly.