Annie’s Bakery owner Lui Gundersen set up shop on SH1 at the southern end of Levin 11 years ago to take advantage of the thousands of vehicles that pass his bakery every day. It’s pretty much the last place to stop before hitting the Kapiti Expressway when heading south, and the first you come to when heading north once you leave the expressway.
There is ample parking on either side of the road and also directly outside the bakery, but Lui says not as many trucks stop as he’d like.
“We had hoped we’d get more custom from the truckies, but many of them are on runs between Taupō and Wellington. Because the trucks are GPS monitored, they can’t always stop off along the way. We get a few log truck drivers heading for the port in Wellington stopping so they can grab lunch to take with them because there is nothing once they get there. We get a few furniture trucks and fuel tankers and ones that aren’t on set runs, too.”
Lui says local contractors and tradespeople are regular customers – and this is borne out by the number of toots and waves he got while having his photo taken outside the bakery.
Annie’s sells a wide range of delicious cabinet food, including sandwiches, cakes and hot chips, but the best sellers are pies and doughnuts – all made using Lui’s own recipes. Hot and cold drinks are available too.
At Easter, Lui dresses up in a pink bunny suit and hops around outside to attract attention – and his hot cross buns are definitely worth stopping for.
“It’s all a bit of fun; everyone waves, and it puts a smile on their faces,” he says.
The team at Annie’s is a friendly one. Lui says he tells them to treat every customer the way they’d treat a family member. “We’d love to see more truckies stopping here, but whether they stop or not, we’d like to wish them all a safe journey.”
Annie’s Bakery is located on SH1 Levin just south of the Allied Petroleum fuel stop. It is open seven days a week between 6am and 3.30pm during winter and between 5am and 3.30pm in summer. A toilet is available for customers, and there are outside picnic tables and seating.
