There’s something very satisfying about a day trip that includes a little art, a beach, a market and something delicious to eat. My recent Saturday outing north of Auckland managed all four, with a stop at Wenderholm on the way home for good measure.
Leaving the Auckland CBD, we headed north towards Matakana and Omaha. It’s one of the pleasures of living in Auckland: you can start the day surrounded by apartment buildings and traffic lights, then find yourself among rolling countryside and coastal scenery without needing to organise an entire holiday.
Introducing Sculptureum. With art spread through gardens and indoor galleries, it’s a place that encourages wandering. The outdoor settings give the sculptures room to breathe, while the galleries offer a different rhythm, drawing your attention back to colour, detail and individual pieces. There’s a playful quality to the place that makes exploring feel approachable, whether you know a great deal about art or simply enjoy looking.
From there, we headed into Matakana to explore the Saturday farmers’ market.
I enjoy markets as much for the browsing and people-watching as for anything I might buy. There’s something pleasing about moving at market pace: stopping when something catches your eye, considering food you hadn’t realised you wanted, and letting the next few minutes take care of themselves.
Of course, browsing can only sustain a person for so long. Eventually, snacks become necessary. A bacon buttie from the Matakana Bacon Company went down well, followed by a visit to Northern Waters. Fresh oysters. A very satisfactory addition to the day. There are more elaborate ways to organise lunch, but fresh oysters during a day out near the coast are difficult to argue with. Sometimes you really don’t need to complicate things.
With Matakana explored and the oyster situation successfully addressed, I began heading south. Rather than going straight back to the CBD, we stopped at Wenderholm.
It made a lovely final change of pace. After the art, the market and the food, there was time simply to enjoy being outside before returning to the city. A day trip always feels a little longer when you allow yourself that last stop instead of treating the drive home as something to get through.
Then it was back to Auckland, having fitted a satisfying amount into a single Saturday.
Sculptureum, Matakana’s farmers’ market, fresh oysters and Wenderholm. Some days need very little explanation.
A good day.
