This weekend we visited a new farmers market! We’ve been having rain on the weekends so we’ve cancelled several weekend market adventures but this Saturday we woke up to sunny(ish) skies and decided to go for it. I even dressed up for summer and wore a halter (which is normally a dress but I made into a shirt).

Yay for sunny summer days!

Well actually, it was sunny when we left but ended up raining on the way.

We got lucky when we arrived and had just enough time without rain to enjoy the market.

This weekend we went to Oratia Farmers Market in Oratia, Waitakere City, Auckland.

It’s another market that is open all year, rain or shine, every Saturday from 9 am to 12 noon.

From their website:

We are an authentic farmer market.

A farmers’ market is a produce market selling food produce and food products, fresh flowers, plants and compost. The products are sourced locally and sold by the producer. The aim is to provide a venue for local food producers to sell their product directly to the public.

• Quality Food Produce and Products
• Made and Grown Locally
• Sold by the Producer

Sounds like exactly what a farmers market should be, right?

What I Liked About Oratia Farmers Market

• Location. This is going to be confusing because location is on both the like and dislike lists. I liked the location because the farmers market is located at Artisan Wines. It’s at a vineyard! Though they have off road parking we ended up parking on the road and walking through the vineyard. That was fine by me because I love vineyards!
  
• The signs. I liked all the chalkboard signs at this market. They had a big sign in the front when you first got there with some information about the live music, what was offered that day at the market and little details.
  
  They also had hanging chalkboard signs for every stall which was really nice.
• Atmosphere. I liked the general atmosphere and setup of the market. It felt a lot more like a farmers market I would find or attend in the US and I liked that it was setup strictly to be a farmers market.
  
• Ginger beer. Kepa loves ginger beer (I don’t get it personally) and he really enjoyed the Lime & Chilli Ginger Beer he bought from the Hakanoa stall.
  
• Live music. I’m always a fan of live music at events and at farmers markets. There were two girls playing at the farmers market when we went and they were enjoyable and added to the atmosphere a lot.
  
• Food. Specifically home made goods from the lady running Jam Pak’d.
  
  Kepa got a beef and mushroom pie that was amazing (I tried a bite):
  
  And we shared a slice of toffee and macadamia nut cake that was so ridiculously amazing (my first time trying such a cake):
  

Overall there were a lot of things I liked about this market.

What I Didn’t Like About Oratia Farmers Market

• Location. It’s super far away from us so we won’t be going back. But beyond that it’s just out of the way and felt like it took forever to get there even once we got to the right town.
• No dogs allowed. Thought they had a place selling dog food and treats (and they had dogs) the market is not dog friendly. JuJu isn’t allowed to go which makes me sad.
• Size. The market was pretty small which meant limited vendors.
• Price. Prices weren’t that great for most stalls. It really bothered me that the Pic’s Peanut Butter guy wanted me to buy the peanut butter that was two dollars more than the price I buy it for at the super market. I want to review this peanut butter soon because I like it but I already pay $7 for a smallish jar and don’t want to pay more just to buy it at a market.
• Lack of variety. There wasn’t much variety at the market because of it’s size so we walked around very quickly.
• This ferret. I mean, I know the taxidermy was for the people who love the environment and want to save the animals (or something I was too grossed out to ask) but this stuff ferret totally creeped me out.
  
• The Confederate Flag. I was born and raised in the South but I really don’t consider the Confederate flag to be a positive part of our history. Plus I thought moving to New Zealand would mean I wouldn’t see it anymore? Yet there it is flying at the back of the building (hard to see, sorry).
  

Thoughts About Oratia Farmers Market

Overall I liked the market. I liked the live music and the general feeling. I wished it was bigger and had more variety but that’s what you get with small markets sometimes.

I have to point out that thought I liked the market Kepa didn’t. He liked the ginger beer and the food we got but overall his review wasn’t as positive as mine. But since this is my blog you get to hear my opinions for the most part. :) Let’s just call the review of Oratia Farmers Market a mixed one. I’m happy we had some yummy food and I got to buy some asparagus and blueberries though!

We won’t be going back since it wasn’t spectacular enough to justify the trip from our location but if you live nearby or happen to be in the area it’s worth at least a visit. I definitely like the location at the winery and think anyone interested in New Zealand wines might enjoy it.

Other markets we have visited:

• City Farmers Market at Britomart
• Howick Village Market
• Clevedon Village Farmers Market

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! If you are in New Zealand, go enjoy the nicer weather!

Oratia Farmers Market Review is a post from: A Merry Life! If you aren't reading it via RSS or on amerrylife.com it has been stolen!!