To Market, To Market
By Pauline Stewart
Whitianga The entire area was abuzz with 75 stall holders. This was Whitianga Markets on Saturday morning, thronging with visitors for the long weekend.
The weather was sunshine in large quantities. The live music by Dave Kennedy spirited across Soldiers Memorial Park, keeping everyone in a bright frame of mind. Ronnie James of James Taylor Events, is co-ordinator of the Whiti markets and was very pleased with the number of stalls and the turn out of people.
Whiti markets brings together the full variety of stall holders - crafts crafted from kauri and macrocarpa, macrame, flower displays, shell creatures are exhibited; locally grown and produce food on the Coromandel Peninsula is sold by the very people who grow it and then prepare it for sale; students from Te Rerenga School were raising money for their school camp selling cakes, sweets and jams. A long queue was at Whitianga Lions Club and the MenZshed stalls wanting to buy a sizzled sausage and to check out the wonderful array of crafted wood products and toys made by the MenZshed. Other stalls included children’s clothing, plants, rope products and ornaments for the home deck and the boat, Christmas gifts, soaps and creams and candles, beautiful digital art of New Zealand flora and fauna. Just along the footpath was the premium whitebait fritter stall run by the Whitianga Volunteer Fire Brigade. They had attracted a crowd. See you next Saturday at Whitianga Markets.
Coroglen Coroglen Hall and adjacent parking area is the scene of Coroglen markets on Sunday morning finishing at 1.00pm. This is definitely a hub for local food producers and their products and for some local crafts. The Informer was there at almost closing time and a lot of produce had been sold. The homemade sour dough bread was all but gone; and the plants were very popular and nearly cleared. New Zealand’s top producer of quality fine salts, Perry Cornish, had prepared a stall with some of his prize winning salts. Next to him was his entrepreneur son, Marlow, with packaged gourmet teas, his own product. I purchased a Kawakawa & Ginger Tea pack and infuser plus I enjoyed a very impressive sales pitch. Next door was Irma Steenhuis of Jacob’s Well Honey with its restorative and healing properties, I have taken previously to my son in Australia. Fruit juice made on the spot from oranges, carrots, mixed with healthy spices and herbs of your choice was being prepared by Agustin Medina and Tania Bachetta, originally from Uraguay. At next Sunday’s market, this duo, passionate about offering food that is vegan friendly and gluten free, will be cooking a range of savouries and sweets for the market goers. For something different but extremely practical, you can purchase worm casting from Marie Bevan. Her business is Vermicast4 you ( also from Drill 4 You). This is really the best non chemical fertiliser, great for all plants. Marie has it available in 15kg buckets or one-ton slings. The Informer received a $1 sample ziplock bag to try on the pansies at 14 Monk Street.