Howick Village Market

Howick Village Market has become the Saturday-morning habit of this corner of east Auckland, with somewhere between 55 and 60 stalls setting up in the heart of the village. The produce is the draw for many regulars — fruit and vegetables brought in the same morning they were picked — but the mix runs much wider than a grocery run, taking in preserves and baking, woodcraft, garden pieces, soaps and woollens, and a good spread of street food from several different kitchens.

Because the stallholders change from week to week, it rewards coming back. Live music plays through the morning and there is seating to eat at, which makes it workable with younger children who need a pause. Families tend to treat it as a browse and a bite rather than an errand, and the village shops and cafes around it carry the morning on if the market itself is quickly walked.