(N) One weekend in May, we went for a drive around the south of Auckland, firstly stopping at Otara Market, which is billed as a real mix of Pacific Island, Maori, Asian and Pakeha (European descent) stallholders each Saturday, creating a uniquely New Zealand multicultural experience, where Pacific Island elders sell traditional cloth, next to their younger counterparts selling satirical t-shirts and streetwear, with Indian and Chinese and fast food stalls all competing for business. This was a pretty fair description, as there plenty of Pacific Islanders, as well as bearded Sikhs, head-scarfed women and Chinese grocers. As well as a selection of Maori t-shirts and Polynesian music CDs (complete with a live singer), the market was mostly fruit and veg; a mixture of the familiar (apples) and the exotic (Fijian ginger), and a good chance
... read more