Kia ora, Aotearoa (Welcome, New Zealand)

The native culture in New Zealand is really interesting and it's probably one of the few countries populated by the English that actually embraces its native community.

Most of New Zealand continues to use Maori names for their cities and when the name is anglicized you often see the Maori name in parenthesis. They also embrace the culture as a huge part of their tourism.

Sunday night I went to Mai Ora where you participate in the Pawhiri welcoming ceremony, which includes a challenge (Wero), welcome speeches and then Hongi where the chief of their tribe presses noses with the chief of the visiting tribe. Then after the challenge and welcome, they show you a bit about their culture and finally you sit down to a Hangi which is the dinner. It's all very touristy but also really interesting.




A young warrior first comes out to see the visitors and is very cautious. He will lay down a fern and if the visiting tribe chief picks it up it means they come in peace. If they do not pick it up you're in trouble.


Although men play the dominating role in the tribe, it is ultimately the women who decide if the visiting tribe is allowed to proceed. Here is the house where they have the welcoming ceremony. Men proceed first and then women.


Maori use bugged eyes and an outstretched tongue as a sign of intimidation. Before the welcoming this was explained to use so that no one would begin to laugh, which would be incredibly rude. At this part of the ceremony they were singing traditional songs.

We were also given a visitors song of support (Waita) that we had to sing which completes the formal speeches. You know how much I love to sing, but this was okay because 1) it was about as easy to sing as the national anthem so everyone sounded terrible 2) it was a group song and very short.

Tena Koutou

Greetings to you all

E hoa una

To my new friends

Kua tae mai nei

We whom have arrived

I tenei wa

At this time, to this place

No reira ra

Therefore

E hoa ma

To my new found friends

Kia Ora ra

Greetings to you

Tatou Katoa

To one and all.

Afterwards they showed us their native crafts, the men were allowed to view the weapons and the women stayed for the weaving, pottery, music and food.



Much like native Canadians they also dried fish.


This is the chief of the tribe showing how to use shells as musical instruments.


I stayed to talk to him and he had been to Toronto and Niagara Falls and went on the Maid of the Mist. He said he was surprised how many homeless people there were in Toronto. Actually I've noticed the same, the welfare system here is much different and you don't see many people on the streets. I asked if it was okay to take a picture and he posed like this with the eyes and tongue.





Very similar carvings as we see in Canada. I was lagging behind on the tour to take pictures and the tour guide, also Maori, told me that they purposely don't make the faces realistic because in their culture it would be an insult to God to think that you could recreate his masterpiece.

Kelley and I at dinner. It wasn't great. I think because there are so many people from different countries they try to appeal to all senses rather than having traditional food that everyone may not like. Although the raw fish was there so I had some of that.

We sat across from a man from Belgium and he told us that he also went up Tongariro Crossing and the view at the top was the most beautiful he had ever seen. Of course it would be.