Held every Saturday morning on Commerce Street, the Kaitaia market is the social event of the week for the surrounding farming and Māori communities. Stalls sell home-grown produce — citrus from Doubtless Bay, kūmara from the dunes, smoked snapper from local fishermen — alongside woodwork, kauri gum jewellery, and Māori carving.
It is a small, friendly market, not a tourist spectacle. Arrive early (it winds down by noon) and bring cash. The breakfast stalls do a decent bacon and egg sandwich for a few dollars.