Matakana Village Farmers Market — Local services in Rodney

To me, Matakana village is quite a hyped-up place, thanks mainly to the media. No doubt, there are some good things about it but then again nothing exceptional to some popular NZ villages and small towns - typical similar characters like few good cafes, food, and arty shops. Vineyards in the wider Matakana area produce good wine and you can taste them with their own gourmet food.

But my concern is about the indifferent attitudes of most of the sellers in the village. I have visited this village a couple of times with family and friends and always seen the insouciance attitudes from the traders which kind of give the sense of snootiness. I have seen it is quite misanthropic towards people/customers with different backgrounds and skin colours. Probably the over hyped status may have caused this bit of snobbery but as a traveler to many places on earth, I find it a repulsive factor which is bad for a town that depend heavily on visitors. Some people living in the surrounding area traveling to this centre in dirt covered UTEs or SUVs display the same kind of indifference to visitors. In short, this is a village with lots of village mentality of a little community and you don’t see many smiles here other than from visitors.

And the location of the village is quite stuffy and prospects to expand are very limited. Village must have been established here because of the T junction leading to three different important places, but it is now an overcrowded little junction with fewer parking facilities and huge traffic on weekends. Currently, Matakana is sitting like a one litre hot water bottle filled...

I recently discovered the Matakana Village Market and immediately fell in love with its charming atmosphere! The star of my visit was definitely the food - the Margherita pizza had that perfect wood-fired crispness with the most deliciously simple toppings. But the real showstopper was the Italian fettuccine I tried on a whim. The pasta was clearly fresh-made, with a rich, creamy sauce that had me scraping the plate clean!

What makes this market special: 🍕 The Italian stall does everything right - you can taste the passion in their food 🌿 So many fresh ingredients from local growers 🎶 Lovely live music that adds to the relaxed vibe ☕ Great coffee options to pair with your meal

Tips for fellow visitors: Arrive hungry - portions are generous Bring cash for some vendors Don't rush - take time to enjoy the atmosphere Chat with the vendors - they're so friendly!

While I'm not from the area originally, this market made me feel instantly welcome. There's something magical about sitting at those communal tables, sharing food with both locals and visitors alike. I love how you can taste the care that goes into every dish here.

Though I can't visit next weekend, I'm already planning my return trip to try more of the amazing food (those pastries at the French stall are calling my name!). If you're anywhere near Matakana on a Saturday, this market is absolutely...

Such an amazing market with live music, comfortable beanbags arranged right in front of a lush little creek with gorgeous clean waters and plenty of eels (we heard). There were so many stalls and lots of fresh organic options too. Housemade cheese, cured meats, home-brewed probiotics, healthy smoothies, sugar-free bottled plums, plump avocados, delicious pizzas and smoked fish and apple butter and even a stall selling knives. The fruit stands were my favourite. The peaches were fat and juicy and perfectly fuzzy, the plums were large and firm but tender inside with sweetly tart flesh, the Otago cherries were massive and incredibly juicy, and the apples were delicious too. We'll be back for more peaches and plums, which beat every other kind we've bought so far hands down. Also, there's a complimentary dog-sitting service for those with pooches. The dogs looked so happy and comfy sitting together in a cosy little hut. Even though it's a long way from where we live, we'd love to visit...