Market Day

We had to leave home at stupid o'clock to drive to Picton and be at the mail boat at 8.30 am.  I have never done the mail boat trip from Picton to Ships Cove and a lot of visitors where also doing it.  Some are walkers/trampers/hikers who are going to walk the Queen Charlotte Track.  Some are doing a day cruise and some like us are using the boat as a taxi and are being dropped off at the jetty nearest to the house we would stay in.  There is no road access.  Ship Cove is the turn around point and the boat sailed back to Endeavour Inlet where we would stay.  Our friends met us and helped carry our gear along the bush lined track to their house.  
It was then off on a short walk further along the track to the annual market day.  Here the neighbouring  holiday home/bach owners gather to sell some items to each other and catch up with each other.  The family we stayed with had slices of chocolate cake, lemon cake and fresh lemonade to sell.  They sold out of everything.  We bought venison burgers for our lunch, fudge, and some raffle tickets.  I also bought a calendar featuring   native birds from this area and the photos were taken by a local resident.  The money from the calendars goes towards the trapping programme that aims to rid pest animals from the bush.  The market day was held on the track that the walkers use and they must be surprised to come across it.  
Once everyone was sold out the people dispersed and went on home.  The afternoon activity for the forester, Steve and his two children was to take the boat and go for a dive.  They came back with Paua/Abalone and Kina/Sea Urchin.  I went for a walk with the camera and then settled into chat with their Grandma who has been our friend for a long time shall we say.  After a delicious seafood dinner the extra of Kereu/native pigeons landed in the tall pungas.  I had the wrong lens on and shutter speed too slow for the flying one but too bad it was magic to see them.  The bach is double story and you look out to the ferns and Pohutukawa and the water of the inlet beyond.  It is a slice paradise for me.