This is a local gem of a gelato shop. It's outside the main downtown (by just a couple minutes)…read morewith the most wonderful flavors. You can get the standard chocolate if you need, but other flavors include snickers, Easter egg (seasonal), Bounty (coconut and chocolate) and lovely sorbets too. Many are gluten free and there are dairy free options too. Very nice operators who reopened the shop in the evening for us to come in right before official closing time. There's also a nice outdoor area to sit and enjoy when the weather is nice.

Charlie's Gelato Garden is well worth a visit if you are in the area. It is my favourite place to…read moreget Gelato (sorry Giapo!). Charlie's has an amazing selection of gelato and sorbetto. The flavours are constantly rotating with new flavours added regularly. They also have a flavour of the month which is either festive or seasonal. If your favourite (I have many) isn't on display that day they quite often have it out the back and happy to get it for you. The sundaes are a must but be prepared to share as those guys are huge! Their woodfired pizza and strawberries are also amazing but very elusive. It's almost impossible to get the strawberries as they sell out so fast.

Strawberry Farm was the second stop we went to in Auckland after a long flight, and we were…read morecompletely perked up by the delicious fresh fruit ice cream! I was also excited about the fresh produce, and we picked up a bag of tomatoes to snack on. Good prices and nice assortment of produce. I have periodically craved their strawberry ice cream in the time that has passed and would love to come back!!

Fresh fruit! Hello, need I say more. A little out of the way from where we were staying but totally…read moreworth the drive. I could see myself here everyday! They offer fresh strawberry (or frozen from fresh when not in season) ice cream and shakes. You already know your girl had to get BOTH! Super inexpensive and super delicious it's crazy! It's so refreshing! They also offer other fruits and veggies for purchase. Everyone there is friendly and they have an outdoor area for you to sit down and relax as you indulge in your snack! They also have a restroom if needed. This is a MUST stop place whether you're near or far, you'll be happy you made it!

Nothing better than knowing your looking after your health and at the same time enjoying an iceyread more

We made a stop in Matakana on the way back to Auckland from a day at Tawharanui beach, and boy am I…read moreglad we stopped at Blue. The ice-cream they serve is literally some of the best I've ever tasted. The coconut and marshmallow blended two of my favourite flavours together in one scoop of creamy perfection. I loved how the flavours were a bit out of the ordinary too. The banana-almond and black forest milkshakes were a welcome change to the usual chocolate, vanilla strawberry you see everywhere else and the strawberry and blueberry frozen yogurt cones were absolutely delicious. The staff looked absolutely rushed off of their feet when we went in there on a Sunday afternoon (I guess everyone had the same idea about a post-beach treat) but still offered really quick service with smiles on their faces. My only complaint is that there's not a Blue in Auckland, I can't wait any longer to have another scoop of marshmallow and coconut from here!

Hm, let's see. What did I love about Blue? Well, everything really! They've got a huge juke box for…read morea variety of old-school tunes, some delectable flavours of ice cream and frozen yoghurt, milkshakes, smoothies and basically everything you associate with summer time. I think they must look blue on a stormy day with next to no people visiting, but on the warm autumn day I was here, they had a booming business going down. I liked how they served ice cream in little recyclable containers if you're not a fan of cones. I also liked how the staff were so super friendly and eager to please, despite the onslaught of peckish customers. If you're ever passing through the township of Matakana, these guys are where you go for dessert.

Four Square has been in our neighborhoods since the early 1920's, a long standing and historic…read morestore that has stood the test of time with us kiwi's! The Four Square in Matakana is a fantastic store to pop into for convenience when in Matakana town. I was happy to grab my toddler some organic baby food and snacks as we headed for the beach nearby. Honestly you name it; Four Square will have it for sale. Styled as a mini supermarket with everything you would need for the weekend at the bach or a picnic at the beach. They also sell Wine, Champagne, Beer and Cider for the get together BBQ your heading to. If you are feeling like you could strike it rich, they are also Lotto merchants so you're in luck. Outside the attractive display of fruit and vegetables are pleasing to my eye, and I thought the fun Matakana Four Square T shirt for sale here was fun and original.

Let me just say this place isn't much to look at but their ice cream knocked my socks off! Its a…read moresmall store front with an elevated ice cream counter and the staff take your order and pass you small cones and dishes of heaven right over the counter to you. Service is fast, and the ice cream is amazing! What else can you ask for in a picturesque water front town!

We went here last night and got some cookies and cream ice cream and it was super delicious. If…read moreyou're looking for a tasty treat on the waterfront, I would highly recommend going here. They have a lot of different flavors of ice cream and the staff is very polite to! Check it out.

One of the many ice cream stops you can pick from in this quaint shopping center. I stuck with my…read moretraditional chocolate style. Don't think the girl was prepared for this. I ordered their most chocolaty ice cream with a chocolate dip over it. She made a "Whoa!" face when I put in my order. Really good ice cream. Nothing like New Zealand milk, OMG, and I hate milk. But have come of the conclusion, I dislike American milk. By the end of my ice cream, as usual, I had chocolate all over my hands and my face. My husband had to direct me on where to clean my face before we walked along the verge back to our accommodation. Thumbs up, if in the area a must try.

Great ice cream place! They give very generous portions. A kiddie come is what I would consider a…read moresingle, a single is a double, etc. Excellent ice cream. I had the traditional New Zealand "Hokey Pokey" which is vanilla with honeycomb mixed in. New Zealand has the best ice cream!!!

We came here for a dessert after dinner. Had to wait 20 minutes for a table for two, which wasn't…read morebad since we left our number with them so we could wander around. I chose to have the lemon and yoghurt bombe alaska that was fantastic. The right amount of sweetness and tartness. There was a bit of confusion that kind of spoiled our experience as we also ordered the passion fruit and peach chocolate bon bon and was only told after the dish arrived that the passion fruit and peach were only available as shards, which was eight dollars more. We would have appreciated the waitress explaining that some of the chocolates came as shards and the others as bon bons, so we felt like we were tricked into ordering something. The cookie dough macaron was good but didn't remind us of cookie dough, more of a chocolate macaron. We left wanting a lot more from our experience chocolate- and pastry-wise.

The lemon yogurt bomb Alaska is the best "popsicle" ice cream bar I've had. It's not too sweet or…read moretangy and balances our dessert well. It has a crispy lemony coating over a frozen yogurt middle, finished off with stripes of meringue on the top. It all case together so well! The cookies and cream rocher was also very delicious. It was topped with edible gold, had a crunchy cookies and cream outer layer before you hit a velvety chocolate mousse later. Finally, the inside had bits of cookie. It sounds very sweet and sickly but was pleasantly well balanced. I wish they had a Milse where I'm from! Actually maybe not, or else I'd be so broke.

Another excellent family evening at MMK, great food and service, staff are friendly and…read moreaccommodating of our family's various needs. Highly recommend.

The Matakana market is new and quite spiffy looking with restaurants upstairs and downstairs, a…read moremovie theater and other amenities. I was hoping to do better for vegan options than a few sides and salads. They offer a "Vegan Power" salad - which seemed promising. It arrived at my table - nicely shaved carrot, fennel and arugula - drowned in a tasteless, overly oily dressing - the flavor of the carrot and arugula vanished. Only the Granny Smith apples that weren't dressed had any punch. I also had an order of vegetarian spring rolls which were over cooked and flavorless -- the French fries were ok but ... come on: you can do better than a tasteless salad or falafel plate and French fries for vegans, Manakato! There wasn't even a vegan entree.