During my first pregnancy I craved tinned pineapple and toast with an inch-thick layer of butter. Baby number two had me buying child-sized chocolate milks at the shop every second day for a month. Now in the evenings, with the kids tucked into bed, I find myself parked on the couch, with either my laptop or my knitting on my knee, and that time of the night rolls around when, like most others, I just crave something especially sweet.
A few squares of good chocolate are usually what satisfies me. Whittaker’s is the all round fav here. Kenny, my partner, loves a bowl of chocolate ice cream smothered in fresh cream. I love to bake, so something from the tin will sometimes make an appearance. However, there is nothing worse than opening the fridge and finding our treat shelf emptied out. When the cupboards also don’t provide, well… utter disappointment all round.
To satisfy those evening cravings, preparation is key when living on a remote island like Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island. Being forced to purchase your “treaties” – as my kids call them – at one of the local stores here will end up costing you a small fortune. A block of chocolate will set you back an eye-watering $16, a tub of ice cream, $22. Desperate times do sometimes call for desperate measures, but being prepared is best! I ensure each of my big online shops every six to eight weeks – purchased and packed by Pak’nSave, and shipped on the boat from Te Tihi-o-Maru Tīmaru – has a sufficient number of sweet treats to get us through till the next delivery day. Occasionally, I grossly underestimate just how many we need and, within a few weeks, we are scrounging around for the kids’ leftover treats from Easter and Christmas.
Luckily for us, going out for a coffee and cake here is a bit more straightforward. Chats Ahoy is a mobile unit run by Tarsh Hosking. She ships her vintage tablecloths, cake stands and coffee machine all over the island in the back of her little blue car, on days that suit her. She loads up and unpacks at various locations, providing people with their caffeine and sugar fixes, and more. The kids love her Mercat cookies – half mermaid, half cat, based on the characters from the children’s TV show Gabby’s Dollhouse – but Tarsh is best known for her custard squares and quirky cake designs. She also makes an impressive cheese roll! Tarsh really looks out for the Chatham Island ladies. She’ll open the doors at the Owenga Club for Mums and Bubs, and sends out messages to the local lads to encourage orders for surprise cake deliveries on Valentine’s and Mother’s Day.
Brenda Tuanui is the legendary name behind Weka Bakes. She pops up at the local markets and occasionally on a Saturday at the sports field. Breezing in with large containers and boxes full of sponges, cakes, biscuits and puddings, she completely fills her three long trellis tables. People will queue out the door of the market and around the corner. Children’s eyes light up every time they see Brenda’s impressive spread – “ohhhs” and “ahhhs” are heard all around. To ensure everything is fresh, Brenda will stay up to bake, cream, ice and sprinkle till 3am the morning of the market. Her team of helpers, usually her sister and school-aged great-nieces, assists in boxing and bagging customers’ goodies, and within the space of a couple of hours – if that – it’ll be a complete sellout.
We sometimes miss being on the mainland for the selection at a larger supermarket and the convenience of a quick stop in at the corner dairy. But treating ourselves to a sweet delicacy that we haven’t slaved over is a luxury we can still enjoy here. Living here – the same as in most places – it is the simple pleasures that matter.
This story featured in our Kōanga Spring 2025 Edition.
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