Kōrero: Whitebait and whitebaiting

This hut has been built behind a whitebait stand on the Matau branch of the Clutha River, in South Otago. Some stands are built on floating pontoons, but most are on stilts. They sit above the high-tide mark, providing shelter for whitebaiters. Small piers allow easy access to the nets. Some stands had droll names such as ‘The Ritz’, and doubled as shelters in the duck-shooting season.