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| Sentinel Beach with a view of the Harbour Bridge |
A favourite weekend pastime for us on a sunny winter's day is to grab a hot coffee and a quick pastry and head down to one of the beautiful, secluded Herne Bay beaches to soak up some vitamin D. We started this tradition with our old Pooch, Sophie, who loved nothing more than to splash around the beach, and it's still one of our favourite things to do. The beach is remarkably close and I don't think people realise what a quick and uplifting escape this can be. Beaches are always a nice place to visit and not the domain of summer alone.
Living in Ponsonby means there is no shortage of great places to grab a coffee and a quick pastry. Here are my current top 5:
1. Agnes Curran on the corner of Ponsonby Rd and Franklin Rd, this place is an institution and probably one of my favourite cafe's in Auckland. It feels like you're walking into an old Auntie's for a cup of tea with lots of Antiques, quirky chairs, simple cabinet food, great service and of course great coffee.Even my parents became temporary fans when they were here from Canada last year, enjoying the nice rhubarb brioches and coffee. Agnes Curran also displays local artist's work and we just recently bought a piece by a Ponsonby artist named Timothy Clark. Very cool.
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| A peak into Agnes Curran |
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| Picked this up at Agnes: Ponsonby Post Office by Timothy Clark |
2. Il Forno at 55 MacKelvie St, this Italian Bakery is another local Ponsonby institution. Their Almond Croissants are quite a regular feature on the beach trips as are their yummy Italian donuts. I love the little complimentary Madeleines they often serve with each cup of coffee as well. Nice touch! We are often also likely to grab a fresh loaf of ciabatta from the bakery for later on.
3. La Boulange, an amazing little French Bakery at 214 Jervois Rd. They bake their pastries fresh on the premises in batches throughout the day in a relatively small oven. If you're lucky you'll arrive as something is just finished baking. Their Croissants and Pan au Raisin are just fabulous when fresh from the oven.
4. Philippe's Chocolate and French Pastries has its factory shop on Great North Road, just before Bond St. Great French Pastries are available in the mornings. The coffee isn't bad, but we're more likely to grab a pastry and then head back to Agnes Curran for the coffee!
5. Farro Fresh, a new addition to the neighbourhood based at 34 Westmoreland St in Grey Lynn, has a nice selection of pastries - I'm not sure who makes them - probably Loaf, but I am a fan of the Chocolate Hazelnut Brioche.
There are plenty of beaches in the Herne Bay area. If you're interested, just drive down Sarsfield St and at the end of most of the intersecting roads is a stairway down to the beach. Also, a bit further along is Marine Parade which has a number of stairways to the beach as well. One of our Faves is Herne Bay Beach. Really, you are not far from the beach anywhere in Auckland and there are plenty of secluded spots to enjoy.
Allister manages to take some great photos so thought I'd share some from the other day at one of our more regular beaches, Sentinel Rd Beach in Herne Bay, with its lovely boat sheds and the Harbour Bridge in the background.
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| Happy coffee drinker |
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| top of the steps leading down to the beach |
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| Neat old boat sheds keeping an eye on the bridge |
