New Clevedon Market Finds

If you’ve been here for awhile, you know that one of our favorite Sunday day trips is out to the Clevedon Farmer’s Market, about a forty minute drive from the Eastern Bays of Auckland. This past weekend was a long one for us, thanks to the Queen’s Birthday weekend which is celebrated the first weekend in June. Fun fact: the Queen’s actual birthday is in April. Unfortunately, it was an exceptionally rainy weekend, but the weather gods were smiling on us on Sunday morning. No rain was predicted until noon, so we decided to make the jaunt down to Clevedon around 9 a.m. It was imperative that we make it down soon because we were (gasp) out of salsa.

I’ve noticed that since covid there are a number of empty stalls at the market and I haven’t seen the petting zoo and horse rides in ages. Our favorite taco stand, Nomad Tacos, is no more. However, there are still plenty of favorites still there: the gyoza stand, the pizza place, and the Clevedon strawberry ice cream trailer. This week, we tried a few new (to us) places that are worth some hype.

First, the Kiwi Beekeeper. The kids were fascinated by the real live hive he had on display. It was locked so no bees were flying about, but they loved watching the insects climb around. His honey was delicious, too. We got to learn all about the different areas the bees use to produce their honey, and the prices were ridiculously good. For comparison, the bottle of Airborne 70+ MGO Manuka honey I got from the grocery store was NZ$27 for 500g, while the jar of 100+ MGO Manuka honey from the Kiwi Beekeeper was NZ$20. In the end, I came home with spreadable Wildflower honey, Manuka honey, and a giant slab of honey comb. The rest of the family is in the process of devouring the honey comb while I secretly prefer the Manuka honey.

Secondly, Valura Chocolate. I am one of those people who loves a little bit of dark chocolate (ideally 70-80%) from time to time. I have no use for milk chocolate. My husband surprised me with three bars of Valura Chocolate, a bean to bar company started in 2021. We got a Haitian, Panamanian, and Ugandan variety (all 70%) and OMG these are delicious. The Ugandan one is perhaps one of the top chocolate bars I’ve ever had. I am not sharing.

Fortunately, both stores have online storefronts if you’re not in the vicinity of Clevedon. Unfortunately, they have a much greater variety at their farmer’s market stalls, so the choices online aren’t nearly as good as in person. Nor are there the yummy samples that make it impossible not to bring a few things home.

We were able to make our picks and get back in the car just in time for the rain to start at 11:58. The rest of the weekend was one wet mess, so I’m glad we were able to get out of the house and have a fun outing before snuggling up inside and introducing the kids to The Princess Bride.