Titirangi and its fabulous Market Again !

Titirangi is an arty village on the Western fringe of Auckland city. One drives up out of West Auckland and suddenly one is in 'heaven'. It's the gateway to the Waitakere Ranges and to many sublime West Coast beaches along the Manukau Harbour, all the way to the Manukau Heads, some 14 km from Titirangi along Huia Road to Huia Village. 


"Titirangi, probably Auckland's most beautiful suburb and on the edge of the dramatic Waitakere Ranges, is truly 'the fringe of heaven'. The name incorporates the Maori word for sky and alludes to the God Rangi. It was here about 1750, on Titirangi's southern and western flanks, that the heroic struggle occurred that saw Ngati Whatua wrest control of Tamaki Macau-rau (Auckland) from the incumbent Waiohua".
quote: Titirangi Fringe of Heaven by Marc Bonny. 


There are several funky eateries, the most famous being Hardware Cafe, which also has The Tool Room basement for jazz and blues evenings. Then there is Lopdell House, a large imposing building with historical significance, (once a hotel, then a school for the deaf in 1942, then a teachers' in-service training centre from the 60's - 80's) and now hosts The Regional Art Gallery, an exhibition centre and the Titirangi Community Arts Council. There is also a theatre.
Titirangi has a well-appointed library, post shop, pharmacy, heath shop, florist, wine and spirits store, hairdressers, estate agents, legal and accounting businesses, book and craft shops. There's a supermarket, bakery, dairy and several take-aways. One can eat Indian, Turkish, Chinese and local cuisine.
Titirangi has a bowling green and RSA centre for the oldies, its own fire station, several churches, a Buddhist Centre, medical, dental and veterinary facilities, schools and kindies, and of course a fishing club and a yacht club. It also boasts some gorgeous little bays such as French Bay. 
It is a centre that offers a host of alternate modalities and happenings - including Thai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, meditation, intuitive readings, acupuncture, naturopath and osteopathy, beauty therapists and dietitians, due to the creative community which abound. It's also the gateway to great golf courses, tennis clubs, bush running, wonderful hiking/tramping and nature reserves and is a pet friendly area, being close to pony clubs and farmlands.

The monthly market on the last Sunday of the month is one of the attractions which gets a host of visitors pouring in to the village. The pics below tell a story in themselves. It's a meeting place of creative souls and the plethora of vibrant colours, textures and shapes, the decadent flavours, tantalising odours and pleasurable sounds are a sensory delight. The inspiration is infectious.....

 

 

  

    

 

'Thanks Katy! That was great fun shopping at the Market together. Let's do it again some time!'

'Every dog has his day at The Titirangi Market'....

Music to blow you away in Auckland

The Flaming Mudcats 
- the blues artists that make your feet dance feverishly;
- that makes the passion flow through your veins,
- that makes you want to stay and burn the midnight oil...
- Iconic is not an overstatement and is without a doubt the word that emblemises these boys.
.
ARTIST SUMMARY
GENRE - BLUES
ARTIST BIO: ' The flaming Mudcats are a band that swings, shuffles and gets low-down
in their devotion to the sounds of the Blues,
R&B and Rock 'n' Roll. Anyone who argues that good blues is getting hard to find has never heard of these guys...chances are you couldn't find a tighter goodtime band.
 This four piece band swings, playing great grooves fused with burning harp and smoking guitar: this is no-frills party music. A firm favourite in Auckland's Blues scene, this band is well versed on what it takes to please a crowd, exhibiting levels of professionalism and musicianship that makes it easy to become a dedicated fan. {I just did}. It's plain to see right away that these guys love the music they make together. Not surprising, their loyal fan base continues to grow every month as a result. The Flaming Mudcats are available for festivals, pub gigs, corporate events and private parties.
For bookings or enquiries please contact the band.

MORE ABOUT THE FLAMING MUDCATS:-

Craig Bracken - Vocals & Harmonica 
Craig has a harmonica style and grace that is the envy of other harp

players. Whether blowing that penetrating single hole note, hanging out

back or tearing the roof off…any which way, you can't resist his feel and tone.
He is also blessed with a great Blues voice, making him the ideal front man.  
His career includes playing harp for the Darcy Perry Band and the Blue Devils,

LOS Diablos and earlier fronting Guava Groove back in the 1980's. 
In 2006 he co-founded the record label Roots Music Aotearoa with Darcy Perry 

AND PAUL Merriott. 
Harmonica Masters of New Zealand, marks Bracken's first effort as a producer, 

 "AN IN-depth knowledge of the New Zealand roots music scene

and a life-long love of the instrument made him perfect for the role.”

“The equal of any top international player (past or present) that you would CARE TO NAME" MIKE BUTLER (BLUES NEWS) 

Doug Bygrave - Guitar
Influenced primarily by the music of Lightning Slim, Magic Sam, Jimmie Vaughan and Johnny Guitar Watson, Doug was in a number of blues bands bursting out of the Bay of Plenty in the late 80’s-early 90’s, including Austin Texas, Jigsaw Blues and the Gurus of Groove. 
He retired from playing in the mid-90’s, until a chance meeting with drummer Ian in early 2009 inspired him to haul out his strat again and replace its rusted strings.

If you come along hoping to hear screaming solos and hot licks processed through umpteen pedals, you’re gonna be disappointed – Doug’s sound is all about space and tone.

Ian Thomson - Drums
Hearing those early Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed and Bill Black numbers way back when, Ian was hooked forever on those great feels and back beats. 
This has lead to a on going drumming career playing with many bands including, The Dark Ages, Underdogs, The Brew, Sonny Day, Mumbo Gumbo, The Lonely Ones, Red McKelvie, Al Hunter, Glen Moffatt, Gary Harvey…..now the Flaming Mudcats.

“For me, musically, it’s only about two things……the groove and the Blues.”

Sean McCarthy - Bass
Sean is a blues bass player. 
He's not a Jazz player or a Rock player who doesn't know better, and

he's pretty sure there's a difference.

Yep, Sean is a blues bass player.'

Info With the compliments of www.Reverbnation.com/page

A fine time was had by all at The Tool Room, basement at the funky and popular Hardware Cafe, Titirangi, West Auckland. 

Pics depict the electric vibe. The Flaming Mudcats are a top class bluesy band ...and a MUST SEE by folk coming to Auckland for
the Rugby World Cup.

You can check their website for more info.. 

on where they will be performing. www.theflamingmudcats.com