Salivating: Takeaway joy to mark end of level 4 for many in Horowhenua

The fish and chips will be on the menu for many Horowhenua families this week as we go into level 3 lockdown.

Wednesday, September 1, is not only the beginning of a new month and a new season BUT it's also the beginning of level 3 for most of the country.

Like most people south of Auckland, the Horowhenua community is really looking forward to a night off cooking and a barista-made hot drink.

Our intrepid journalism intern, Nikki, reached out to residents via social media to discover what particular takeaway they were most looking forward to buying on Wednesday.

Surprisingly, most of the respondents are not planning to hit the drive-throughs of the major takeaway food chains.

Instead, the general consensus seems to be to support local businesses that will have been struggling during the past couple of weeks of level 4 lockdown.

In Levin, a lot of people seem to be after fish and chips, and Chinese or Indian takeaways:

"Mmm Plenty Fast Food smorgasbord and their delicious, huge pieces of fish, battered or crumbed. Omgosh so hungry now"

"Fish and chips or pork chow mein from Golden Horse"

"Chicken korma with garlic naan from Star of India mmmmm"

And over in Foxton, two of the most popular guys in town seem to be Reg and Colin:

"I'm looking forward to my Gluten Free fish and chips from Regs Takeaways at Foxton Beach"

"Chicken black bean sauce, fish and egg burger from Colin Wahs"

Although some are just excited about the idea of not having to cook for a night - "anything, just as long as it isn't my own cooking," said Sarah.

Some cafes and coffee carts will be also be open for contactless purchases throughout the Horowhenua on Wednesday, so you can definitely grab your barista-made caffeine hit.

Nikki the intern is looking forward to ordering fish and chips for dinner and is really hoping she'll be able to score herself a coconut milk hot chocolate.