On the weekend we get up early and  head to Otara, South Auckland where there is a Saturday morning market. We get a bit lost so ask a Maori women for directions. The conversation went something like this:

Me: “Hi there, is this the right way for Otara ?”

Maori woman: “What you going there for ?”

Me: “We heard the Saturday market was good, is it worth a visit?”

Maori woman: “Oh yeah, but there’s lots of dark people there so hold onto your children”

Anyway, 98% of the people at the market were Maori or Pacific Islanders and all we got talking to were very friendly.

Alongside vegetables and fruit that I did not recognise you could buy island fashion – bold patterned brightly coloured shirts and lava lavas (sarongs) etc. You could also buy cooked food typical of the Pacific Islands and SE Asia, musical instruments (e.g. eukeleyli), CDs of Maori, Samoan, Fijian and Tongan music etc etc. Also Tuhoe ‘Bruno’ Isaac, the ex-mongrol mob Maori gang leader is selling a book about his life as a gang member.

I bought a Waikato rugby jersey (as they play in the same colours as Abercrave). Pacific Islanders being Pacific Islanders the only sizes stocked were L, XL, XXL, 3XL, 4XL and 5XL.

Large was a little large for me but did the trick.