This weekend we visited a friend in Pokeno, a town about 1- hour drive from Auckland towards south-east.
So here, I introduce a little bit about Pokeno and Pokeno (Franklin) Market we discovered on our visit.
About Pokeno
Pokeno is located 50-60km south east of Auckland. It belongs to Waikato district, although it is near the border between Auckland and Waikato region.
According to 2013 census, around 600+ house holds live in Pokeno in 2013.
Pokeno was a part of military headquarters during New Zealand War in 19th century; so Pokeno was an important town during invasion of Waikato region, and is still a town with historical importance.
More info：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeno
Pokeno is also famous for Pokeno Bacon, which is a long-standing shop in Pokeno selling delicious bacons and sausages.
Many people make a stop at Pokeno when they are travelling from Auckland to Waikato region (or vice versa) to pickup some famous bacon and sausages.
In the town centre of Pokeno, there is the famous Pokeno Bacon shop.
They have a range of items for sale.
Pokeno is a rapidly growing town, with many new houses on sale
Pokeno is currently a small town, but is expected to grow and change significantly in coming years.
Pokeno was always a stop-off town conveniently located halfway between Auckland and Hamilton, two large cities in New Zealand.
Recently, increase in housing price all around the nation made houses to be unaffordable, particularly in cities like Auckland and Hamilton.
Following, Pokeno became one of new towns reasonably close to Auckland, where people could afford to buy a nice-size house.
Move has already started for people hunting for an affordable house, or those who are in property development business.
Also see article：Housebuyers leave Auckland for Pokeno
There are many new houses or sections for sale on major property advertisement websites, like Trademe Property. (Note Pokeno is included in Franklin, Auckland for Trademe Property listing)
Currently you can find 4 bedroom houses from 700,000s, and 3 bedroom houses from 500,000s, which are much better than prices in Auckland.
When we visited Pokeno, we also spotted a lot of advertisement board that said “ 4x bedroom house for XXX NZD!” or similar. We could also spot many new houses being developed.
Furthermore, when you drive on the motorway by Pokeno, you can see that there is a huge development ongoing right next to the motorway.
When we asked our friends in Pokeno about it, they said “not sure what they are doing, but we hear rumors that supermarkets are coming” “In 10 years, Pokeno will be so different”.
It seems that Pokeno IS a rapidly developing town.
Open every Sunday! Pokeno (Franklin) Market!!
In Pokeno, there is a market on every Sunday from 8am - 2pm.
See their official website from the link below:
http://www.franklinmarkets.com/pokeno-market.html
We love market and we had to stop by to the Pokeno market. There were many shops, ones that sell vegetables, plants, some second hand goods, food…..
Our kids were a bit hungry, so we purchased four of 1-dollar hot dogs and ate it on the side of the market.
We didn’t arrive at the Pokeno market until afternoon, so by that time, there were not many people doing shopping.
So for those visiting market next time, I would recommend going in the morning, when the market is really busy and selling.
Beautiful Paua etc… Sea shell shop
In the Pokeno market, our favorite was this special shop at the back, selling many, and I mean MANY sea shells!!
Apparently the shop owner man loves sea shells. He has been collecting them over 50-years he said.
The shop is full of variety of shells from all over the world. From small to large, in various colors. If you like shells, you will almost have a heart attack seeing all the shells this shop has!
We asked and he let me take a few photos of his shells. They are AMAZING!
Some shells I have never seen before….
Many large size shells are available also.
There were some Cowry shells with carving on it too.
And of course some small-large size paua and related shells…. beautiful!
Price depends on the shell type and their sizes. We bought some cowry shells about the size of our kids fists for 4 dollars each.
There were also shark teeth on display, and many other beach-found items.
Pokeno is famous for 2 icecream shops!!
After finishing at the market, we saw many people across the street.
Mm…? Everyone is eating something!
That’s right, many people on the street of Pokeno town were eating icecream.
It turns out the Pokeno town is famous for two icecream shops located side by side, selling a wide range of NZ-made icecream scoops for a good price!
Both shops had a huge variety of flavours, and one-scoop size is huge!
They even have a menu like this below:
14 Scoops for 17 dollars. Kidding?
We did spot people buying 4 scoop icecream (2 x 2 rows), however.
Above is just a photograph posted on the shop wall, but if you actually bought a 14-scoop icecream that would make a awesome photo/experience.
I would love to buy one 14-scoop icecream myself, but I will need a team to help me eat it.
Summary of visiting Pokeno
So that was our first trip to Pokeno township.
- Pokeno is a small town south of Auckland
- Historically important town, also famous for its bacon.
- Development going on in Pokeno, and is a hot town for new housing!
- Pokeno market held every Sunday
- Popular icecream shop – offering a tower of ice cream!
It is a good town to stop by when you are travelling from Auckland to Waikato region.
If you are planning on visiting Pokeno, I would highly recommend making in on Sunday so you can checkout Sunday market too.
