KiaOra!

So much has happened in the past few days it's hard to stay on top of it all! Kia Ora is a Maori term that means hello and thank you. Our stay in the North Island through the bridging cultures program was amazing. Before I left I did try the famous Vegemite...

All I can say is that I will never have to try it again. Don't let the chocolately appearance fool you. It's a super salty kind of bitter intense type of experience. 

  

Once we got to Rotorua we were greeted by a strong sulfur smell from all of the geothermal activity in the area. If you've been to Glenwood Springs in CO you know what I mean, but much stronger. 

This is one of the harbors we stopped at filled with ducks and geese. That night we had a quick session with some more helpful information on becoming accustomed to NZ. The hostel we stayed at was really nice with a cold pool and some heated with the geothermals.  They provided us a delicious BBQ the first night. 

The second day we were exposed to the Maori culture. We went to the Marae which is their place of gathering. We had to elect a chief of our "tribe" who was greet by a warrior. (I have the who thing on video I will try to post to Facebook) once the tribes met we were led inside to finish the welcome ceremony which included song, dance, speeches, hand shakes, and nose touching. It was such a cool experience. 

The inside was full of structures carved by the Maori people which all told a story. Their history was all oral and through markings. We then had four different workshops we went through to learn more about the culture. 

At the first workshop we learned about the weapons the Maori used to use. They were a more violent type of tribes and used long sharp sticks and paddles to attack and defend themselves. We learned a few moves which was also really interesting. All the weapons were also carved in detail. Some would hold the hair and bones of those that were killed (not the ones we were touching).   

The second workshop was working with flax plants. We learned that the Maori would use these plants for many different things. The leaves can be broken down into thread like fibers (second strongest behind hemp). Before cutting a leaf off the Maori will say a short prayer to one of their gods, thanking him for the plant and expressing it will be used for good. You are not to cut the center (child) away from the surrounding (parent) leaves. We made flowers out of the flax. I soon realized my flax abilities are sub par. 

The third workshop was probably my favorite. We learned the Haka. This is a tradition war dance that the Maori would perform to intimidate the opponents before battle. Today New Zealand's rugby team, the All Blacks, will perform the Haka before each match. We also leaned the Maori song/chant that goes with it. I wish I had gotten a video of our "performance". 

The final workshop involved making a poi, which is essentially a ball of a cord. Today they use them in traditional dances. Back in the day the ball was a rock and it was used to strengthen the forearms. 

After the workshops concluded we gathered to watch some traditional dance and were fed an authentic meal. 

The whole experience was so much more than I had expected. I learned so much and realize there is so much more I could learn. I hope to take a Maori class during my time abroad. The people who taught us everything were wonderful and so excited to open up their world to us. I would recommend this experience to anyone! 

CHRERS!

CA