Sips and Smiles Limited is a cafe at 5 Moorefield Rd in Makara-Ohariu, a rural pocket on Wellington's western edge, holding a 4.1 rating on Google. Cafes in country pockets like this tend to live or die on their regulars: the coffee has to be consistent, the cabinet food fresh, and the welcome warm enough that neighbours make it part of the week. Out here the drive is part of the appeal, so weekend mornings are often busiest, with cyclists and walkers passing through between the valleys. A simple test when trying a new cafe is to see what the regulars order and start there. It also pays to check opening hours before setting off, as smaller rural cafes often keep shorter or seasonal times. For anyone in the Ohariu and Makara valleys, Sips and Smiles makes a handy local coffee stop, close to home when the city feels a world away.