Concrete Playground

If it’s grown in the ground or on a tree and you can eat it, you’ll find it at Avondale market. This market was founded in 1972 and lays claim to being the largest one-day market in the country. If you’ve never been here before, you’re in for a revelation.

Walk past the discount DVDs and underwear stalls and you’ll soon be in the market proper, selling every conceivable fruit and vegetable in a multitude of colours and varieties. But what this market offers (aside from quality) at half the price of the supermarkets is Pacific and Asian food. For instance taro, papaya, watermelons the size you remember as a child, a huge array of Asian greens, chillies, plump eggplants of various shapes and sizes and fresh tofu. The pungent aroma of fresh coriander hits you as you turn each corner. This is the mecca of fruit and vegetable markets in Auckland; I cannot recommend this place highly enough.

Parking costs $3 but considering how much you save on the produce, this is a bargain. This market gets particularly packed so arriving around 8-9am is advisable.

When: Sunday: 6am-12pm