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Matakana, North Auckland, New Zealand

On my first visit to New Zealand we stayed at our friends’ bach (pronounced “batch” it refers to a Kiwi holiday home, generally by the beach) in Martin’s Bay which is roughly an hour north of Auckland.  We made a trip around the locality and spent a swift 20 mins in Matakana, a village which, to me, defined the term “one-horse town”.

Slow Food Initiative

Farmers' Market

Farmers' Market

A few years on,  Matakana has been given a new lease of life thanks to a slow food initiative, inspired by Italians.   The now famous Matakana Farmers’ Market is one of the many initiatives undertaken by Matakana to become New Zealand’s first ‘Cittaslow’, an idea founded in Italy to promote a better way of life, improve the environment and avoid the development of large franchise stores.

Public Conveniences

Public Conveniences

You can enjoy a freshly brewed coffee, meander around the stalls and take the opportunity to talk with growers. There are a variety of stalls selling organic and gourmet fruit, vegetables, chocolate, preserves, breads, meats, fabulous pies, cotton reusable shopping bags and much more. To add to the buzz,  local musicians play live music. Running every Saturday from 8am to 1pm we decided to check out the “new” Matakana.

Surprise, surprise!

The place was abuzz with people despite the crisp winter’s day.  Aside from the market, the town itself was now worthwhile meandering around, with nice shops and cafes to chose from as well as a cool cinema and beautiful public loos!  Produce tended to be a little on the pricey side, but it was lovely to wander around, have a delicious pie and stand by the chiminea to warm up!

I would recommend heading out of Matakana, just a couple of minutes drive, to Morris & James Pottery.  I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of pottery, I don’t mind it, but in Morris & James I fell in love with many a piece of pottery!  Also worth considering for a lunch or coffee stop is the restaurant, Cosi.  It looked fabulous and had we known it was there before our visit we would have happily dined there.

Lunch at The Glass House, Brick Bay Wines

The Glass House

The Glass House

We headed for Brick Bay Wines to dine in The Glass House.  The award winning structure straddles a dam bar and provides a bright yet calm environment to enjoy the food platters, made for sharing, and taste some of the wines.

Brick Bay Wines also provides some art and entertainment in the form of a Sculpture Trail, which runs for 2 kms.

Al Fresco at Brick Bay

Al Fresco at Brick Bay

It would be very easy and pleasant to while away a few hours at Brick Bay, picking at a platter, tasting wines, going for a walk… a perfect Saturday afternoon, perhaps?!  I will look forward to a return visit to Brick Bay to do exactly that.

Certainly a day trip to Matakana is now worth the effort, and all the more so on a Saturday to enjoy the market and the ambiance which accompanies it.

Posted in Restaurant Review, Travel.

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