Water of Leith– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

It had been ages since I had been to a fair and while they often come to town on long weekends, I always seem to miss them. I remember them as places of fun and surprise, where you didn’t expect much beyond wasting a few dollars on games where you win cheap prizes, eat food that isn’t good for you while enjoying the surprise of finding something that you never knew existed, yet having seen it, couldn’t live without. 

So, when I saw the Dunedin Gypsy Fair advertised for the long Easter weekend, I found myself strangely curious to see what it was like and driving there, even a tad excited. I had even ensured I had cash to spend, a real novelty for me. I think what I was really looking forward to was wasting my money on a game that is impossible to win. After all, there’s nothing like a good swindle to remind you of the value of money! 

The Dunedin Gypsy Fair was to run over three days over Easter and it seemed sensible to me to attend on the first day. So, at around midday, in glorious sunshine and without a breath of wind, I parked my car and happily strolled off towards the group of mobile homes that were parked in a circular formation in the distance. 

Well, I was there for all of five minutes, three of which I wished I wasn’t and one looking for an exit. Within 1 minute my expectations had been dashed. I was too old for the bouncy castle, I wasn’t interested in a temporary tattoo or having my face painted and I could tell right away that  I could live without everything on offer in the surrounding stalls. Alas, I resigned myself to the fact that I simply am not the target market for fairs anymore. So, I departed by way of manoeuvring between two campers and headed for a pile of leaves somewhere, or maybe even a stream with a nice little waterfall.