Seasons

I’ve written in the past about how much I enjoy visiting farmers’ markets — not only in my hometown but also when I am traveling. I’ve found it’s a great way to make personal contact with both the vendors and the shoppers and get a real sense of the people and the area I’m visiting. It’s nice to be able to support the local economy and sample local food and crafts directly from the growers and producers of them. The most frustrating part of the exercise when I’m on the road is knowing I can’t take home everything I’d like to!

You can imagine how pleased I was, then, when I learned that our itinerary during my Auckland, New Zealand, trip included a visit to the Matakana Farmers Market, up the eastern coast about an hour’s drive from the city. When I left home at the end of April, spring was bursting into bloom and our own market was just starting up, featuring early greens and cold-weather veggies. In New Zealand, though, fall was fully established, and I looked forward to visiting the Matakana Market during the height of the harvest.

Early Saturday morning we left The Langham and drove north over the Auckland Harbour Bridge and through the northern suburbs. Our route took us past several large marinas crowded with boats of every size and description — validation for Auckland’s nickname, City of Sails. It was a clear, sparkling morning, and I enjoyed noting the similarities and differences between the local countryside and my own. (Here’s one feature I spied: Snowplanet, an indoor skiing slope housed in a large, hangar-like building draped down the side of a hill. I got a kick out of the sign outside: “Crap skier? Get help here.”) Part of the way we drove along the Hauraki Gulf, home to a number of conservation islands and a marine park and a favorite vacation destination for New Zealanders. Beyond the beaches there are farms and vineyards scattered all over the hills and valleys leading down to the sea — a really lovely landscape.

We arrived in Matakana Village and walked down to the site of the market. It operates every Saturday year-round out of a series of permanent wooden booths set alongside the Matakana River (more of a steam) and surrounded on three sides by two-story buildings housing a variety of galleries, boutiques, cafes and a cinema — the heart of the Village. We met Richard Didsbury, one of the founders and developers of Matakana and, one senses, the driving force behind much that goes on here. He shared a little history and toured us through his cinema — three uniquely decorated theaters with the most amazingly comfortable seats I’ve ever seen. Several of we weary travelers were tempted to wait out a passing cloudburst with a quick nap in one! But too many enticing goodies were waiting outside at the market, so I plunged in as soon as the rain abated and began my own tour.

With only about 35 vendors, the market was a little disappointing in size (I had imagined, from what I’d already heard of the place, much more) but not in its offerings. I was able to enjoy a little winetasting at a few booths, admired plants from a small nursery, purchased a jar of the most delicious local honey, gobbled up a few pastries and tried some local sausages and mustards. Crafters offered jewelry, woven goods, wood products, ceramics and baskets. Off to one side a three-piece band played folksongs and a little bluegrass, and shoppers mingled and chatted. There seemed to be a good mix of tourists and locals, and snatches of conversations indicated to me that the market was the place people caught up with each other each week while they picked up a little of this and that for their tables.

One of my favorite moments came when I strolled down with a cookie to a little dock alongside the river where a tiny, blond girl of no more than three stood admiring a flotilla of ducks. I was a bit alarmed to see her teetering so close to the water with no adult close by, so I squatted down beside her to keep her company and from harm’s way. Not at all shy, she happily chatted to me about the ducks (some of which I understood), her bright blue eyes lighting up when I asked if she thought the birds might enjoy a bit of my cookie. I broke off small bits of it and offered them to her so that she could toss them into the water and watch the ducks scrambling for the morsels. It was a lovely conclusion to my visit to the market, making a connection with this sweet Kiwi child.

My travel tip to you this week is to take every opportunity, wherever you are, at home or abroad, to visit a farmers market and sample the local fare, people and lifestyle. You won’t be disappointed.

– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor