Whitebaiting

Every September
upon the wild West Coast
the atmosphere is heady
and secrets are kept close

Early in the morning
with their buckets nets and bins
they hurry to the river
because the Whitebait's coming in

They all have their own places
up the river and down
each one more closely guarded
than the jewels of any crown

To trespass another man's stand
is to risk the loss of your head
For these tiny white swimmers
I've heard much blood's shed

Then they're off to market
their catches proudly shown
the biggest wins a prize
which has them cocks a crowin'

Buckets emptied, catches sold
they head off home much richer
But with a gleam in the eye
they tell the night sky, tomorrow I'll be quicker

In the bars and cafe
they talk of nothing else
all other entertainment
is cast upon the shelf

Feeling a bit out of it
I thought to myself,
The next time I'm here at Whitebait time
I'm gonna bring my bucket.

by Winterchild

Whitebaiting is big in New Zealand....a real part of the culture, and in certain townships the season is crazy and exciting....even for non fish eating lifelong vegetarians....you cannot help but get caught up in their passion.

This image was taken on the East Coast and I think today most whitebaiters get along okay. They mingle and share their hot drinks and biscuits, have a yakka (chat) while they wait and tend to their nets - they form quite a little community along the river banks.