You can get a fairly good idea of what to expect from a market by the type of fast food that is on sale and at the Titirangi market you’ll find organic coffee and gourmet spicy sausages in buns (which The Eccentric English Boyfriend proclaimed to be “very good”) among the items on offer, and if you’re like me and have special dietary requirements then you’ll be happy to see vegetarian, vegan, gluten or dairy free options available at the Rudolph Steiner cafe inside Titirangi Memorial Hall. What you won’t find is Coca-Cola. Phoenix Organic Cola yes. Red and white packaged sugar-laden multi-national cola no. Which is fine, because I’m totally not addicted. Honest.

There are tables inside and outside the hall where you can sit and and take in live music from some of Auckland’s best folk musicians while you eat.

Foodies wanting to take something home with them are well catered for too, with artisan breads, gourmet cheeses, homemade chutneys and jams, venison salami and nutty dukkah among the selection available when we were there.

I highly recommend the deliciously dense and nutty Campagne loaf sold by the artisan breadmaker inside the hall (the name of which I forgot to note down because I was too busy gazing into the gorgeous brown eyes of the young French guy manning the stall while I scoffed down free samples of bread), which I am currently eating topped with the Red Onion Chutney from Mrs B’s stall just outside the hall.

Once your food needs are fulfilled there are a wide range of other stalls to be tempted by: from clothes to jewellery; birdhouses to framed photographs; aromatic soaps to herb-based skin care – you’ll find plenty to have you reaching into your wallet. I particularly loved the bold graphic prints of the skirts at Soul of Aotearoa (who also had a very handsome black cat helping to man the stall), the beautifully soft woven merino scarves at Hand Loom Weaving, and the cute do-it-yourself felting kits at The Felted Kiwi.

Titirangi Village Market is held on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 2pm at the Titirangi Memorial Hall and carpark at 500 South Titirangi Road (note: December’s market takes place on the second Sunday of December, and this April’s market will be held on 2 May because of ANZAC Day). Expect to have to walk a fair distance from your car, as car parking around Titirangi is not prolific at the best of times and the market is very popular.

All images from titirangi-village-market.co.nz.

One market I have visited (more than once even), purely by virtue of it being close to home, is the Avondale Market. Held at Avondale Racecourse, Avondale Market has been running since the early 1970′s, and averages 15,000 to 20,000 visitors most Sundays.

All the things you’d expect to find at a market are there, from second-hand clothes to handmade arts and crafts, bric-a-brac to natural remedies, small clothing labels to cheap imported tickety-tack.

Avondale Market’s strength, however, lies in its fresh produce. The sheer number of stalls selling fruit and vegetables is almost overwhelming, and the multicultural nature of Avondale Market is evident in the produce on offer – next to the potatoes and carrots you’ll find gorgeous Asian greens, fresh coconuts, taro and plenty more, including a few things you may not be able to identify. Once you’ve seen the quality, prices and range of produce on offer you’ll wonder why you ever bought your fruit and veg from the supermarket.

During the hotter months it pays to do your shopping at the market as early as possible in the day – once the temperature rises and the humidity sets in being jammed amongst those crowds can start to feel a little like being in a sauna with the temperature turned up and all the exits blocked.

Avondale Markets run from 6am to midday every Sunday at the Avondale Racecourse. Carparking is available at the racecourse for $3.00, watch your step as you walk through the carpark, sometimes the horses have ‘been’ there before you.