Kaikoura Icons, They Paint a Picture…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Sitting eating our fish and chips in Hine’s Fish and Chip shop gives not just a view of the main street that leads to the waterfront, but also across the road, where we can see part of yet another mural.

Himself had dropped us off in the main street earlier and then gone to find a parking space and by happenchance the van was parked just around the corner from this mural so it wasn’t any distance out of our way to go and check this out.

The mural has been painted onto the side of a factory shop and depicts the iconic scenes and items for which Kaikoura is famous.

In the background of the mural stands the Seaward Kaikoura mountain range,  with part of the Inland Kaikoura mountain range peeking out from behind since both sets of mountains are parallel to each other.

In summer they are beautiful enough, but in winter with a capes of white snow down to low levels they are a stunning backdrop to this little town. In the extreme foreground are the round grey pebbles that make the beach-front here instantly recognisable.

On the right in for foreground a seal stares directly at us, behind the seal the flukes of a whale are emerging out of the water as the whale does a graceful salto in this southern corner of the Pacific Ocean.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Sperm whales can be seen in Kaikoura all year round and they are frequently joined by Blue, Pilot, Minke , Beaked, Humpback, Southern Right whales and Orcas too.

To the right of the seal is a pendant in the shape of a Kowhaiwhai , which Māori believe represents the importance of strong and loving family ties. Historically were made out of whalebone but I think that cow bones are used these days.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Between the beach and the sea, to the left of the whale flukes is a  Māori pāua  necklace in the shape of a Koru, a shape that takes it’s inspiration from one of the yet unfurled fronds of the  New Zealand’s silver fern.

Nature knows how to mathematically and aesthetically impress: the form of the silver fern before it begins the unfolding process is a perfect example of the Golden Mean / Golden Ratio .

This is a mathematical ratio of 1 : 1.618, the proportions which are considered to be most one of the most aesthetically pleasing know to man since they represent perfection, perfect balance and divinity.

For Māori the form and symbolism the Koru has great spiritual importance and represents life, awakening, transformation, renewal, peace, harmony, tranquillity, and eternity.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

In the background between the Koru and the large  pāua shell to it’s left,  dolphins play. Bottlenose, Common and Dusky dolphins are all found locally and if you are lucky you might even spot a Hectors dolphin (one of the world’s smallest and rarest) near the mouths of local rivers or by the Haumuri Bluffs.

At the far left of the mural is greenstone pendant,  known as  pounamu in Māori which is a type of  green nephrite jade found in New Zealand’s South Island.

Both greenstone and bone pendants have great spiritual significance too: they are meant to be worn against the skin where they can absorb the spirit of the wearer.The pendant is then passed down through generations, keeping connections with generations past alive and strong.

The twists in the pendant also have meaning: they represent the intertwining of two cultures,  friendships or lives. The loop is continuous so also represents eternal love, friendship or the lifelong bond between cultures.

The large  pāua shell in the mural is of course not just an icon of Kaikoura but also of New Zealand and I’ve written a little bit about it already here:   http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/new-763/

Finally, the seagull that wheels in the blue clear skies is generally typical of any beach anywhere in the world and here in Kaikoura is no exception…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Picton Ahoy! We Really are Back on the Mainland…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

The Ferry is now close to reaching it’s destination: Picton, at the end of Queen Charlotte Sound / Totaranui.

The South Island of New Zealand is just over 30% larger than the North Island, but boasts only around 20% of the countries total population of around 4 million people.

The two biggest reasons for the population divide are: geography and weather.

The Southern Alps are the massive mountainous backbone of the South Island… the rugged terrain made movement, settlement and transportation for not just paheha (white people) but also historically for Māori.

New Zealand also sports some very different climates: the subtropical north of the North Island means that growing bananas in your back yard isn’t a problem, kiwifruit, avocados, grapefruit and the like are grown in the North where it is warmer but also wetter and more humid.

In the south of the South Island the conditions are ideal for stone-fruit: apricots from Roxborough are famous along with cherries, nectarines, peaches and the dry cooler conditions are ideal for grapes, attested by the famed Otago and Marlborough vineyards.

It’s might of course be drier on the east coast of the South Island and thus less humid, but it’s also colder in winter and snow isn’t unusual in the more mountainous areas and higher elevations. As a consequence of both these factors only 5% of the total Māori  population historically populated the South Island.

It’s sometimes disputed by North Islanders but the popular nickname for South Islanders is that they are called  ”Mainlanders”.

I have a book on Māori mythology,  which details the some of the exploits and adventures of  hero and warrior Māui, who is not just famous in folklore for his deeds but also the cunning  and skulduggery he employs to achieve his aims.  I also did some research via Wikipedia for more information not contained in my book.

 Māui’s mother is  Taranga,  and his Father is Makeatutara.  According to legend Māui has a miraculous birth—his mother throws her premature infant into the sea wrapped in a tress of hair from her topknot (tikitiki)—hence Māui is known as Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga. 

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Ocean spirits find and wrap the child in seaweed. Māui’s divine ancestor, Tama-nui-te-ra (or Rangi) then takes the child and nourishes him to adolescence.

In Māori tradition, the South Island of New Zealand was Māui’s canoe  and with his foot braced on the solid outcrop of  Banks Peninsula ( the large peninsular close to Christchurch) he threw a jaw-bone that he has fashioned into a fishing hook into the sea and pulled up a massive fish.

This is no ordinary fish… it  was New Zealand’s North Island and the fish hook went through the “hole’  in the middle  that is Lake Taupo.

This is how the Māori name for the South Island became Te Waka a Māui (The canoe of Māui) and the  North Island  known as Te Ika-a-Māui (The Fish of Māui).

Every time I arrive back in the South Island, I feel like a “Mainlander” again… either flying into Christchurch airport over the Southern Alps or seeing Picton again as the ferry rounds the twists and turns of the waterways of the Marlborough Sounds, I’m always overcome with a feeling that I’ve once again truly arrived “home”.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Paying My Respects to the 28th Maori Battalion.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Directly next to the Tram Station Café in Foxton is a little room that serves as a memorial to New Zealand’s 28th Maori Battalion .

The Battalion has it’s own website that shows many photographs and tells the story of their fighting efforts:

http://www.28maoribattalion.org.nz/.

I followed the interactive map on the site and whilst I knew that the Maori Battalion had seen active service in Italy and Greece, I was unaware that they had also been active in the Middle East and North Africa, in an area that stretched from Syria to Tebaga Gap in Tunisia.

I see at there are many New Zealand War Graves in Italy and found this site to be so moving that one day when we visit Italy I would like to incorporate a visit to at least one of these grave sites to pay my respects.

Having had members of my Dutch family caught up and  involved in the Second World War,  I have an idea of how hard it must be for many families who’s friends and loved ones lie buried in a county far away on the other side of the world.

Even after all these years, actually especially  after all these years, we should show respect for the freedom they gave their lives to give us and show that we have firstly: not forgotten them, and secondly: that we appreciate their efforts.

I live a half day’s drive away from the fields of Flanders, so aim to visit graves there too in the future.

In the meantime I am reminded of everything that the Maori Battalion (and all Kiwi’s in the Armed Services) have done as I read some of the newspaper clippings and gaze at the faces in  the photographs.  I like that all of  this is accessible to the public ad very much enjoy my time looking around.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Taranaki… Sits alone, Love Lost and Heartbroken…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Mount Taranaki was given the English name of Mount Egmont when white settlers arrived in New Zealand,  but recently it’s been decided to revert back to the original name,  a decision I wholeheartedly endorse.

I see no reason why indigenous names (anywhere) should be taken over by colonial ones but of course it was done when white skinned human beings were supposedly “discovering”  lands  and arrogantly renaming places after themselves, their ancestors or birthplaces even though these places already had names from the brown skinned human beings that got to these places centuries, and in in the case of some countries, millennia before them.

I think it’s a great step forward for New Zealand to revert back to the original names so am proud to call this mountain Mount Taranaki.

The mountain is actually an extinct volcano and Maori legend has an explanation as to why there are three volcanoes that stand together in the center of the North Island and one that stands alone on the coast in the west. Wikipedia actually tells the story better than I can so here it is:

“In Māori legend, Taranaki is a mountain being that lived peacefully for many centuries in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island with three other mountains, Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu.
Nearby stood Mount Pihanga. Covered in a cloak of deep green forest she presented a stunning sight and all the mountain gods were in love with her.

Taranaki dared to make advances to Pihanga and was reproached by Tongariro and a mighty battle ensued between them. The earth shook and the sky became dark as the mountains belched forth their anger. When the battle ended the lovely Pihanga stood close by Tongariro’s side.

Taranaki, wild with grief and jealously, angrily wrenched his roots from the ground and left the other mountains.
Weeping, he plunged towards the setting sun, gouging out a deep wide trench. When he reached the sea he turned north and stumbled up the coast. As he slept that night the Pouakai Ranges snared and trapped Taranaki in the place he now rests.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

The next day a stream of clear water sprang from the side of Tongariro. It flowed down the deep scar Taranaki had left on his journey to the coast to form the Whanganui River.
There are those who say that Taranaki is silently brooding and will one day try to return inland again to fight Tongariro. Consequently many Māori were wary of living in the area between the mountains.”

There is an inland “short-cut” route south  past the mountain but we choose the scenic coast road that does a wide arc around the mountain and I tried to take photos of it was we went around it.

The volcano is strikingly similar to Japan’s Mount Fuji in shape and whilst impressive in summer it’s becomes a true beauty in winter when it’s covered in snow. Since  it was the height of summer when I took these photos there was only a smudge of snow left and I had to play cat and mouse with clouds that wanted only to hang onto the summit, but eventually I got lucky and managed some shots which where (mostly) cloud free.

Mount Taranaki is a national park but it’s possible to climb the mountain,  things (I think) have to be arranged with the national park authorities and good equipment is needed for the summit but my cousin is a mountaineer who’s been to Everest and worked in Mountain rescue so Himself has added climbing  Mount Taranaki to his bucket list with my cousin as technical expert and climbing companion.

In the meantime we content ourselves with looking at this stunning peak as it dominates the Taranaki landscape.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

And finally a postcard to show Taranaki off in it’s beautiful snowy glory…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

A Treaty Ahead of It’s Time… But Still With Complications…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

There are two places here at Waitangi that I distinctly remember from the trip I made here as a teenager.

The flagpole is one of them and the Treaty House is the other.  I’m not of  Maori decent but in my opinion I consider all people born in New Zealand to be equal New Zealanders no matter what cultural liniage they have behind them.

We are one people and one nation and I believe that’s how things should be.

My personal opinion is that Nationhood in New Zealand evolved more over a series of  historical events rather than on any specific day but this place is one that has special significance because it is where one of these first events took place.

For once in the British Empire proposed an  official Treaty be made between native peoples and  white settlers that attempted to represent a more fair and balanced partnership than had ever taken place before or since.

I’m not saying it’s perfect, far from it… but it shows a level of understanding that was far ahead of it’s time considering the time in which it was written.

What helped this come to pass is the several pivotal people were involved in the making of the Treaty, one was Reverend Henry Williams who not only joined other missionaries who settled in the Bay of Islands but also was culturally open to learning the Maori language , and how the Maori community worked on a practical level and he advised James Busby who helped write the Treaty along with James Freeman.

The fact that Maori ways were mostly respected was also unusual for this time, and since Williams had a hand in the treaty as the translator, the finished document no doubt had his subtle influence embedded in it to a certain degree.

Some of the origonal text includes:

All dealings with the Aborigines for their Lands must be conducted on the same principles of sincerity, justice, and good faith as must govern your transactions with them for the recognition of Her Majesty’s Sovereignty in the Islands. 

Nor is this all. They must not be permitted to enter into any Contracts in which they might be ignorant and unintentional authors of injuries to themselves.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

You will not, for example, purchase from them any Territory the retention of which by them would be essential, or highly conducive, to their own comfort, safety or subsistence.

The acquisition of Land by the Crown for the future Settlement of British Subjects must be confined to such Districts as the Natives can alienate without distress or serious inconvenience to themselves.

To secure the observance of this rule will be one of the first duties of their official protector.

The main point of contention with regards to the Treaty comes from several major  errors, the biggest of course being that the Maori translation does not fully or in some part even partially match the English text, so the two parties naturally had a very different understanding of the agreement they were signing.

Some argue this happened only because the Maori translation was rushed (it was handed to Williams at 4.00 p.m. on the 4th of February to be translated and presented for signatures the next day on the 5th), some  argue it was intentionally misleading.

It was also come to  light that there are multiple drafts of the Treaty in existence, with additions and omissions as it took shape. James Stuart Freeman was responsible for much of this and it’s possible that the “certification of translation” that Williams wrote on the translation that was presented for signatures may actually have pertained to one of the draft documents and not the final version.

The website: http://www.treatyofwaitangi.net.nz/CertifiedTreaty.html tells us:

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

 There is a major problem with the general conclusion adhered to by establishment historians, as ‘A comparison of all five English versions with the Maori text makes it clear that the Maori text was not a translation of any one of these English versions’. Williams had used some other, now missing, final draft, handed to him on the 4th of February 1840 and with it had achieved ‘as Literal a translation of the Treaty of Waitangi as the idiom of Language will admit of’.

It’s unfortunate that Freeman did not have the foresight to write the qualifying statement: “I certify that the above is as Literal a translation of the Treaty of Waitangi as the idiom of Language will admit of” on either this handwritten Maori text sheet by Williams or onto the three printed Maori copies despatched on the 21st of February, rather than at the bottom of his own “Royal Style” English copy. In that age of innocence, no one could predict the machinations of a “grievance industry” 140-years into the future (see Volume G-30/1, pp. 25-27, National Archives of New Zealand, Wellington).

Some land settlements had by all accounts (of both parties) been fairly and amicably transacted but in some instances descendants of these people disagreed with the transaction in principle and wished to contest them, sometimes a century later, naturally leading to contention of sour grapes and allegations of greed  towards the Maori involved.

Other land transactions have been clearly been mishandled right from the beginning and I read somewhere years ago that (in East Cape I think)  there is one on-going unresolved case that’s been backwards and forwards before the courts for over 100  years … in this instance I think that the Maori involved have a clear case of injustice and the whole thing should be resolved in their favour since they have raised clear objections from the moment the “deal” was imposed on them.

Within Maoridom and within New Zealand today there are of course a few agitators who opinions are intolerant from one extreme to another but most New Zealanders I know (and the rest I hope) believe that we are all equal as  ”Kiwi’s” and that we should stand and fall together for each other as a nation.

Waitangi represents  for me the place where people with great cultural differences at least tried to come together peacefully with good intentions.  In practice it’s far from perfect but considering human history in general and  the limits and failings of human nature, it could actually have been a document far far worse. It’s also  reminder that even with the best of intentions that when human beings are involved that things invariably get complicated and that the repercussions can be far reaching and contentious as they are still with the Treaty even today.

New Zealand might have had a few isolated Maori/settler skirmishes but avoided all out civil war in great part due to this Treaty so I personally am proud to be  a Kiwi standing here at Waitangi…

I can only hope that the spirit of good intention and forward thinking are a concept and tradition that the country carries on in centuries to come.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

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(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Requesting a Treaty…

Interestingly the request for a Treaty in New Zealand was instigated not by white (“Pakeha”) settlers but by a contingent of Maori who appealed to the British to help them settle continuous infighting amongst Maori tribes.

For more than a decade Missionaries had been encouraging Maori to set up self governance but there was such disagreement and indeed tribal wars between the Chiefs, that Maori were in grave danger of wiping themselves out before settling their disputes.

The website: http://www.treatyofwaitangi.net.nz/WhyaTreaty.html tells us:

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

  After Cook’s three exploratory voyages (commencing) in the 1760′s and the establishment of a British penal colony in Australia, trade and Christianity came to New Zealand.

British, French and American vessels began visiting New Zealand harbours in the late 18th century to refresh and refit.

From the early 1800′s commercial trading started in New Zealand with timber, flax, shore whaling, ship building and general trade with the Maoris and non-Maoris who had established themselves in New Zealand.

By the 1830′s the coast was dotted with trade settlers as well as several missionaries who had also purchased land and set up home.

However, after 1830 purchases of land grew until there were quite large acreages of land owned by non-Maori. By 1839 there were 2000 permanent settlers, 28 onshore fisheries and many commercial ventures in flax, timber and ship building, plus general and domestic trade by non-Maori.

Until 1832 the British or Imperial Government was reluctant to intervene in New Zealand, but as more and more settlers arrived and trade and investments expanded, the British Government felt responsible for her people and their investments as well as the Maori. 

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

They did pass three acts in 1817, 1823 and 1828 in an attempt to bring law and order, but as New Zealand was outside the British Dominion, these were unsuccessful. In 1820, after Hongi had slaughtered many thousands of the Thames Maoris, they requested that Britain afford them protection.

By the early 1830′s trade between New Zealand had become so intense that there could be up to 30 ships at anchor and 1000 seamen on shore at any one time but still no law to control them or the Maori.

The 1828 Act did empower the courts to deal with crimes by British subjects but these had to be heard in Sydney and therefore it was difficult to get all parties together at the same time.

While British interests and investments continued to increase and become predominant at the time, French and American activity was also on the increase. This worried the British as they were beginning to build up large capital investments in New Zealand but with no protection if  New Zealand were to be annexed by another nation. 

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Many events sparked off Maori appeals to Britain for protection. The first in 1831 when it was rumoured that the French naval vessel La Favourite intended to annex New Zealand to France in retaliation for the killing of Marion du Fresne and his crew.

The Maoris even discussed a letter to the King  but decided on placing a British flag on the mission flagstaff, reasoning that if the French tore it down, the missionaries would appeal to Britain for protection.

After this 13 powerful northern chiefs sent a letter to the King asking him to become their friend, guardian and protector of these islands.

Captain William Hobson was charged with the mission of instigating a Treaty in New Zealand and after a lengthy consultation with Governor George Gipps in Australia, he arrived in New Zealand aboard HMS Herald on the 29th of February 1840, fully briefed on what the Treaty must say.

On the 5th and 6th of February 1840 he  landed at the place now known as Hobson’s Beach (first photo)  and walked up to the Treaty grounds to negotiate the Treaty of Waitangi with the Maori Chiefs. There were more than 500 Maori present and this flagpole designates the spot where they met for the formal negotiations.

It’s also the spot where from 1934 New Zealanders hold the official Waitangi Day ceremonies.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Haka, Poi and Sticks… Another Excellent Experience.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

In the Rotorua Whakarewarewa Village it’s also possible to see traditional Maori singing and dancing.

Again, yes it’s for the tourists, but it’s better than nothing because  entry into a Marae (a Maori communal area) and into a Meeting House on a Marae is usually traditionally possible by invitation only.

It’s considered an extreme rudeness for a visitor to just turn up and expect to be let in, permission has to be given and the necessary etiquette for the greetings followed.

Therefore this kind of tourist ceremony is probably the only way that visitors are able to take a peek into Maori customs… and so we adjourn to the Meeting  House for the show that’s about to be put on for us.

When I get to the door I realise that it’s  necessary for everyone going inside to remove their shoes… this poses a large problem as I’m on crutches and there are no chairs outside, it’s also very slippery in the wet and there are hundreds of pairs of shoes littering the area around me.
My shoes are also quite painful to get on and off, so I fast assume that I’m going to be skipping this show, even though Himself and the kids are already shoeless and have been  funnelled inside by the stream of other tourists.

I resign myself to a patient wait outside in the rain when suddenly I’m recognised by one of the dancers from the restaurant from the evening before…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

… she tells me to wait and speaks to an older man, and I’m subsequently told I may come in, helped to negotiate the single step inside, a chair is found and I may keep my shoes on as a special exception.

I spy Kiwi Daughter and Little Mr sitting on the carpet in the front a little further along from me and towards the back, a tall Himself sticks out head and shoulders above the shorter mostly Asian crowd… (there are several rows of people standing behind people sat in chairs nearer the front)

I’m delighted to be able to sit down for a little rest and honoured to be allowed to keep my shoes on because I know that in Maoridom a Meeting House is a very special place and much revered.

Himself and I recognise several familiar faces from the evening before and get some quick grins of recognition and a wave back before the performance starts. Apparently my set of crutches and Himself’s tallness make us less forgettable couple LOL. We are treated to another amazing display of dancing, singing and stick and twirling Poi dances.

Kiwi Daughter buys a pair of short Poi to take home with us and has a go later in the hotel room, as do I, both of us end up repeatedly twisting them into knots… it’s definitely a case of these ladies making it look really really easy. I can personally assure you that it really really is not.

I’ve included  few clips uploaded to YouTube with some of the amazing Poi work… just click on the links below…

We grab a few more family photos with the people who performed for us last evening as well as a group photo with more of the performers.I only realise halfway though the performance that there is still a lot of rain on my camera lens so apologies for the bad photo quality.

g-NP9FpwZho   (Maori Long Poi dance)

_W-AVoN02pU  (Maori stick dance)

sd8Zb8V37Yw   (Maori Haka)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

The Entertainment Turns out to be Entertaining and More…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Family Kiwidutch are staying at the Distinction Hotel in Rotorua and have been able to go to one of the Hotel restaurants to sample a tradional Maori Hangi (food cooked in the ground).

After the dinner there is also a small Maori display of dance and song  and Himself and I think this would be a perfect opportunity to introduce our kids to Maori  culture.

Since my roots are in the South Island (where traditionally only 5% of the Maori population live) I have to confess that my exposure to Maori culture is probably more limited than it should be.

Painfully aware of this deficit, I’ve determined to learn more and to expose my  children to any Maori experiences we can manage… so the chance  to see more is welcomed even if  it is a bit of  a  ”touristic” view.

Back at home in the Netherlands,Little Mr.and Himself  have been attempting to learn the words and actions of the Haka over the last year, an enterprise (especially on Little Mr’s part) sometimes filled with more good intent, face-pulling, noise  and enthusiasm than actual accuracy.

I’ve often had to pretend that tears of laughter were actually tears of fear due to the fervour of their warrior ‘intimidation” but the fact remains that the sight of a “Maori” battle force that consists soley of a 196 cm (6’5″) Dutchman accompanied by a short six year old skinny kid  stamping their feet and beating their chests and thighs and shouting “Ka Mate  Ka Mate” (“it is death, it is death” (pronounced: “car ma tay”) as loud as they can, is more likley to assult your funny bone and give you temours of the mirthful kind, than to make you shake with fear and instill terror to your heart.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Here in Rotorua they can see how it’s really done and to our delight, not only do we get a little show, the performers are also quick to involve the audience… first a young Korean man gets called up onto the stage to be presented with his (pre-arranged) Birthday cake and to receive a “Hongi” (a traditional greeting that involves touching of noses and sharing of breath) and much to the mirth of the rest of his tour party the guy is first timid until he understands what actions are required of him and then gets so enthusiastic that it almost turns what’s supposed to be a very gentle touch,  into a head-butt.

Next the ladies were invited up to learn a Poi dance… well not the dance really, just some Poi actions and Kiwi Daughter went up and gave it a go.

One thing is certain, it looks easy but it definiately is not, she gave it a galent effort as did the other ladies who were also fast discovering that their hand-eye co-ordination skills needed a great deal of fine tuning. They laughed as hard as everyone else at it all and it was great fun.

A little later the men and boys are invited onto the stage to learn a Haka, Little Mr, so full of bravado and noise at home suddenly clings to me in total shyness whilst Himself gleefully goes up and gives it his best shot.

Some visiting Australian tourists (several guys and their sons) make a good attempt too but the most entertaining buy far on the night were several older Korean and Japanese men who had a great deal of enthusiasm but very little coordination at following along in time with the rest of the groups movements and who’s chanted words resembled the actual Maori ones only insofar as they were sounds issued from their vocal chords… not just their group but the entire place were wiping away tears of mirth as they tried seriously and heroically to do a Haka but failed miserably.

They took it all in excellent spirit and beamingly returned to their seats to great applause.

Afterwards some of the peformers came out and posed with the guests so the Kiwidutch family album sports some very amusing family photographs.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

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(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

All in all we have had an excellent time this evening, great food, entertaining entertainment and a very small but enjoyable introduction to Maori culture. I took a few video’s and posted them to You Tube but have been less successful getting them to link properly in this post… Do you see clickable links below that consist for strange number /letter combinations or do you see real You Tube “frames”?  At least when I tried, clicking the link took me  to the video… I hope it does the same for you.

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Enjoying a (Mostly) Traditional Hangi…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Family Kiwidutch are staying in the Distinction Hotel (Rotorua).
We’d arrived late in the afternoon in the pouring rain, Himself and the kids squeezed in a soak in the Jacuzzi, also in the pouring rain but  the pool is geothermally heated so there were no complaints and luckily their hunger got them out and drove them back to the room in time to get changed for dinner.

One of the restaurants here hosts a Maori Hangi cooked meal (=cooked in the ground with hot coals/rocks or in this case with natural geothermal steam) and usually the show provided is put on for tour bus parties and not really intended just for passing by, families of four.

We strike it lucky  because tonight’s tour bus contingent is smaller than usual and staff at reception tell us that there’s no problem for us to grab a table and share in the food and fun.

New Zealand sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is very geophysically active, fault lines litter the entire country,  earthquakes abound (as Christchurch residents can attest to only too well), volcanoes are dotted around and several (Mt. Ruapehu and White Island are highly active), and geothermal hot springs are a feature in both the North and South Islands.
In fact, the Rotorua area could easily be called the “Yellowstone” equivalent of the Southern Hemisphere and steam vents, geysers and boiling mud are almost literally a stones-throw away.

Local Maori have historically capitalised on the abundance of natural energy and  taken their traditional cooking style to a whole new level here. Usually a traditional Hangi involves heating large stones over a fire for some hours, transferring them to a prepared pit, placing the wrapped food on top and then covering the lot with earth to insulate it and letting the heat of the stones be released to slow-cook the meal during the course of the day.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

In Rotorua the ground itself is Mother Nature’s oven and the food cooks without the need for the fire preparation stage. I’ve had  Hangi’s before and the food ranged from ‘ ok to fantastic”.

This one was brilliant, probably the best I’ve had…  the surprise of the meal was the inclusion of Maori Bread (which I had heard about but never tried before) and wow, wow, wow, it was delicious!

I asked the restaurant staff about the inclusion of rice and some other non-Hangi  menu items and they smiled…

…it appears that a considerable volume of their bus tour patrons come come various parts of Asia and can be more than a  little reticent at trying things like sweet potatoes, lamb and baked pumpkin.

I’m told that they definitely feel more comfortable with familiar favourites like rice and seafood and indeed many enquire before booking their tour if they can expect these foods, so naturally Hotels learned swiftly that if you want your customers to be happy then you cater for your customers wishes. Consequently this is a “kind-of-authentic” Hangi… but the chefs have done a great job with all the food, so no complaints here.

The kumera (sweet potato) is a New Zealand variety that tastes totally different to ones we get in Europe and I can highly recommend it,  followed by the pumpkin (which I could  willingly have eaten every last piece of, if only my stomach have been big enough and it been socially acceptable to have hogged the lot)  …and the roast lamb was to die for.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Maori Bread…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Fabulous lamb…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

We finished off our wonderful meal with Pavlova, fruit salad and gingerbread with custard, Yum! …what’s not to like?

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Top marks for an excellent meal, now it’s time to acquaint ourselves with some Maori culture…

Preparing for Battle…

I’ve told you recently about some of the tribulations of having children but the good bits make it all worth it. Six year old Little Mr. has been on overdrive breaking our faces with mirth recently… so here’s something to make you smile:

Scenario:

(Himself has just left for his language class and I’ve had a particularly painful day after physiotherapy so am on the bed with my foot up on cushions.)

Little Mr. bounds in to the room and says ” Mama… !!!   um …    …Where’s Papa?“

I tell him Papa has left for class, but “could I help you with anything?”

He looks hesitant, then says ” I’m busting for the toilet but I can’t reach the light in the toilet..”

He brings my crutches over, “Can you come?“

(I know he can reach the light), so I say ” Well, why not just get the little step stool  and use it to turn the light on?“

He fidgets a bit, then blurts out ” actually I really can reach the light, …but I’m scared of the dark“

I tell him that ” he’s a big boy now that he’s just turned six, and six year olds can put the big hall light on, as well as the toilet light and that I’m just here close by so he doesn’t need to be scared. He can keep the toilet door open, and our bedroom door and I’m just a little bit down the hall, not far away, but I really don’t need to be there as I think he can easily manage to do this by himself”.

He wants desperately to be a “big boy” (and he’s now very desperate to pee) so he disappears towards the toilet…

.. then, after a few seconds: down the hall I hear his little, very high pitched squeaky voice trying very hard to sound fierce,

Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
Tenei te tangata puhuru huru….

(The first words of a Maori  Haka)

Bless him!….my little man trying to make himself brave…

(It’s  a riot to listen to his little six year old voice doing this! and I HAVE to keep a straight face afterwards: that’s a true parenting struggle LOL)

Some of you might be a little bit familiar with the New Zealand Haka. If you have ever seen the New Zealand Rugby team play, it’s a tradition that they do a short version of one before the game kicks off.

Traditionally, a Haka (and there are many possible versions of a Haka) was done by a Maori tribe, facing their enemy before battle, it summons strength, courage and is supposed to scare off both your opponent and evil spirits.  This means that  Little Mr.  although not yet interested or versed in the history of it, is, by accident, was using his Haka for exactly the purpose for which it is intended.

I can tell you that a Maori Haka, is a very spiritual event and if you are ever privileged to personally witness one done by large group of people, the hair on the back of your neck will be standing on end and the atmosphere will electrically charged with an amazing  feeling , the memory of which will remain with you all your days. It’s very special.

In New Zealand, there are even Haka competitions, and entire schools compete against one another.

(“Intense New Zealand All Blacks Haka War Dance”, by RugyZone on YouTube)

(“Sacred Heart College School HAKA 08″  by JMSTILLY on YouTube)

And a funny favourite version. that has echo’s of Little Mr’s lone voice… the (“Gingerbread Haka” by Bongoman5 on YouTube)