Tuesday, February 7, 2023 – Day 48 (long post!)
Kia Ora!
This is the Māori greeting wishing you good health. It is also a farewell, a way to affirm support, and an all-around acknowledgement of another person. Think ‘cheers’ or ‘aloha’.
Now, let me tell you some of what we learned in New Zealand.
The Māori were the first people to arrive in what we now know as, New Zealand. They arrived at the end of the Great Polynesian Migration around 1200-1300 AD (not all that long ago!). They were phenomenal ocean navigators, traveling great distances in two hulled canoes. When they arrived, they named this land Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud. According to local tradition, the islands looked like a long white cloud sitting on the water as it was approached by canoe. I can confirm that it does indeed look like that, even from the height of a cruise ship!
Since we last wrote, Jeff and I have been exploring various New Zealand ports-of-call and I have to say, I’ve fallen in love with this corner of the world! If ever we decide to leave the US, New Zealand would be near the top of my list!
Because of a weather driven change in our itnerary, metropolitan Auckland, the “City of Sails” was our first New Zealand port-of-call. It is a large port city with a vibrant downtown financial and high end shopping center. I think this must be the Rodeo Drive of New Zealand! We were told that one in three New Zealanders owns some type of boat. Auckland, once the governmental capital of New Zealand, is now referred to as the cultural capital. Long a people of the water, they are very proud of their success in the Americas Cup yacht race. We visited an amazing Maritime Museum where you can see the evolution of sailing vessels, from original double hulled canoe to current boats that quite literally fly over the water. On the day of our visit that the sun came out, the people of Auckland took to the water; boats and windsurfers were scattered all over the waterways.
Our next port-of-call was Rotorua (Tauranga), New Zealand. Rotorua is, like Auckland, on the eastern shore of the North Island. This is a medium sized city set in a beautiful rural/agricultural area.
We went on an excursion to a Māori marae (a gathering place), 1 of 10 within the Ngāti Ranginui tribe in the township of Bethlehem. The marae are sacred community centers where are all members of the same extended family.
We learned that the Māori can, and do, to this day, trace their lineage to the canoe, or waka, their ancestors arrived in. We learned that the face tattoos worn by the Māori are read and tell the story of that person’s heritage. Men can have full face tattoos while women can have chin tattoos. One side of the tattoo is their mother’s line, the other their father’s. Their story is very literally, ‘written on their faces.’ Next time you hear someone say, ‘it was written all over his/her face’, perhaps you’ll think of the proud Māori tattoo; I know I will!
a current member of New Zealand’s Parliament
As we drove to the gathering place, we were given instruction on what to expect when we arrived. We would be participating in a very formal welcoming ceremony.
We assembled at the gateway to the gathering place, lead onto the grounds by our ‘chief/spokesperson’, followed by women in the front, men at the back. A ‘challenge’ is performed by a local warrior to determine our intentions and a peace offering is laid before us. Our ‘chief’ then picks up the peace offering to signify we have come in peace.
The senior women of the tribe chant a welcome. We are then seated, with the men in the front, women at the back. (We were told that the men were seated in the front to protect the women and children should anything threaten us). Speeches of welcome are given, and songs are sung. We were taught a song, in Māori, that we sang during the ceremony:
E toru nga mea, Nga mea nunui, E ki ana, Te Paipera, Whakapono, Tumanako, Ko te mea nui, Ko te aroha
There are three things, that are most important, it is stated, in the Bible, Faith, Hope, most important of all, Is love.
After our time at the marae, we went to the local school where young people presented traditional dances and a haka (think Rugby war chant). Jeff participated (not all that willingly, but ever the good sport) with the men of our group and learned some basic elements of the haka. It was wonderful to see the young people, not all with obvious Polynesian heritage, proudly carrying on the traditions of their homeland.
(Probably not, but you can ask!)
Our next port-of-call was Napier, New Zealand. Napier is in the wine growing region of Hawk’s Bay, still on the eastern coast of the north island. We didn’t have much time in this little town, but we took a short bus tour to see some of the Art Deco architecture the city is famous for. Much of the city was destroyed in an earthquake in 1931, so it was rebuilt in the architecture of the day, Art Deco.
After Napier, we moved on to Wellington. Wellington is on the southwestern shore of the north Island. It is situated on the Cook Strait that runs between the north and south Islands of New Zealand. Largely because of its central location, Wellington became the governmental capital of New Zealand. It is the southernmost capital city in the world. It is a smaller city than Auckland, but still major city for New Zealand. I think this was my personal favorite for potential relocation – not that we have any plans to move, but one can dream! The weather, up until now very windy and rainy, had improved greatly, so we made the most of our day in Wellington.
We started our day with a 3-hour city tour. Yes, it was a bus tour, but we had a good driver/guide and learned lots about this spread out, hilly city. We got to stop a several locations and see this pretty region from different vantage points.
After our city tour, we went to an Eco-reserve called Zealandia Te Mara a Tane. This project is an effort to return a section of land to its original state; before man and other mammals arrived on the island. For the past century, mainland New Zealand has lost so many species of birds that it was rare to hear birds singing and calling to one another.
In Zealandia’s effort to restore native forest and freshwater eco-systems they are providing a home for New Zealand’s rare native species. To create this home, they have developed specialized fencing that keeps out all non-native mammals, creating a predator free zone for the indigenous/rare birds and reptiles. The native birds are flourishing and can now be found in the local neighborhoods outside the preserve.
They take their biosecurity seriously at Zealandia. Before entering in through a double gate entry system, all staff and visitors have to double check backpacks and things being carried into the eco-system. This project is being carried out in a one square mile, steep valley, that was once used as a series of dams for the city water supply. The dams were abandoned for that purpose due to earthquake concerns and turned into the preserve. We hiked 5 miles, winding up and down the sides of the canyon, seeing only a small portion of the facility. In that short time, we saw lots of unusual birds and a reptile that looks like a big lizard, but we were told, more than once, it isn’t a lizard!
New Zealand seems to be a very ecologically sensitive country overall. The Zealandia project, in particular, has had great success in returning birdsong to this part of New Zealand. Can you tell I loved our experience here?!
I’ve been particularly impressed with how well New Zealanders have embraced their cultural heritage. Like so many lands that were ‘discovered/settled’ by non-native peoples, New Zealand has struggled with how to right wrongs, but they have taken firm steps to preserve their Māori culture. They recognize Māori as one of its three official languages, English and NZ Sign Language being the other two. All of the tour guides, Māori and European alike, greeted us in Māori with a formal welcome/blessing. There are full Māori immersion schools and Māori is taught in English speaking schools. University programs are available in English and Māori. We were told there are no ‘full blooded’ Māori left here. Of the people we met, some appear very Polynesian, others obviously have European ancestors as well, but no matter the amount of tribal heritage one has, they are all very proud of their Māori roots.
Wellington was our last port-of-call in New Zealand. We are sad to leave this beautiful country. We didn’t get to visit the southern island, so we may need to figure out a way to get back here! We will spend the next 4 days at sea. The first two days we will sail along the western shore of the South Island. If the weather holds, we hope to sail into Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. Then we set out across the Tasman Sea for the island of Tasmania and on to Australia.
I hope this post finds you well and fully experiencing the world around you.
Kia Ora!