Maori Culture

Apparently the Aussies take the mickie out of Kiwis because of the way they talk - the way they pronounce their vowels is different but sometimes to the non-native speaker, it can be quite subtle. I am not sure what is so hilarious about the way they talk, but then again, we English do make fun of geordies and brummies. The Kiwis do have some sayings which are quite quaint, for example, being in the wip wops (being out in the sticks) and a box of fluffy ducks (what you reply when someone asks you how you are and you are feeling great). Of course, there is no shortage of cows and sheep here.

Yesterday (Tuesday) morning we drove down to Rotorua, the home of Maori culture. Our hotel is located on Lake Rotorua, which is one of the best known thermal areas in the world. The first thing you notice when driving into town is how overpowering the stench of sulphur is (the area is teeming with volcanic activity). On a good day, it smells like bad eggs; on a bad day, like a men's urinal (sorry, but they really stink sometimes). There is so much to do in Rotorua and where time is limited, it can be hard to choose. In the afternoon, it poured down, so there wasn't much opportunity to do any outdoor activites and instead, we wandered around the shops. I thought I was in the back of beyond in Cairns, but other than restaurants and some of the big spas, the place shuts down at 5/5.30pm!

Rotorua and its surroundings are steeped in Maori legend and history. It has its own Romeo and Juliet story: Hinemoa, a girl of high birth, loved Tutanekai who lived on Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua, but was forbidden by her family from marrying him. Every evening she sat forlorny on a rock on the edge of the lake listening to the sound of his flute lilting across the water until one night she decided to join him. With the aid of floating gourds, she swam all the way to the island and was reunited with him. In the face of such passion, their families relented and the couple lived happily ever after. Good job it didn't have the Romeo and Juliet ending, as a lot of Maoris are descendents of these two tribes.

Today was a day filled with lots of Maori culture and geothermal activity. First stop was Waimangu, about 10km outside of Rotorua. The Waimangu volcanic valley was formed by the Tarawera eruption on 10 June 1866 - before that date, the area was rolling scrub-covered hills with no surface hydrothermal activity. On the night of 10 June, a line of craters from the northern end of Tarawera mountain all the way to the Waimangu Valley was formed by a violent eruption. This completely destroyed all plant, animal and bird life in the whole area of the country and could be heard in Christchurch on the South Island. Tarawera, a restlessly sleeping volcano, has erupted five times in the last 18,000 years. The walk from the visitors' centre down to Lake Rotomahana is about 4km long and along the way you can see plenty of geysers, hot water creek and springs, craters and eruption deposits.

Second stop was Te Puia, New Zealand's Maori Cultural Centre in Rotorua. There's plenty on offer, including carving and weaving schools, interactive galleries and a Maori village but the highlight is the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley (with mud pools) and the Pohutu Geyser. The Pohutu geyser is the largest of several geysers in the valley and erupts on average once or twice each hour and can reach heights 0f up to 30m. It is thought that a geyser requires an intricate plumbing system involving one or more chambers into which hot water, steam and gases are all fed. Eventually this reservoir becomes sufficiently pressurised and hot enough for the water to begin boiling. From the rapid and violent pressure within the chamber, water is forced up the geyser vent and then ejected into the air. We were lucky to see the Pohutu Geyser erupt from the beginning and 30 minutes later, it was still going strong (see photo).

Back at the hotel we had a Maori hangi and culture evening. The hangi is an ancient New Zealand Maori method of cooking food using super heated rocks buried in the ground in a pit oven. Modernised hangi methods are still used today and are often saved for special occasions due to the large amount of time and preparatory work involved. Before dinner, two warriors performed a formal Powhiri (welcome) (see picture) and following dinner, Te Roopu Manaia, which is an award-winning Maori Culture group, performed various songs and dances. Some male members of the audience, including my dad, were pulled onto the stage and taught to the do the haka, which was very amusing indeed. All that grunting and sticking your tongue and eyeballs out to psyche out the enemy has been recorded on video, so my dad can never deny he ever did it and I am sure the grandchildren will find it very amusing!

I really like Maori culture. They have some great wood carvings and costumes and the sight of those strapping men with short skirts and bulging thighs are enough to make any woman go weak at the knees! (Of course, there is only one man for me, but there is no harm looking!). I also seem to have picked up some souvenirs along the way - New Zealand jade and New Zealand paua shell (which is a type of abalone and supposed to be very tasty).

Tomorrow we are off to wine country - Napier/Hastings viaLake Taupo and I am sure there will be a few winery stops on the way. I have just seen on the TV that it is minus 6 in London - I don't think I should complain about the weather here anymore.

Kia Ora (which means goodbye in Maori (although it also means hello and thank you and has various other meanings).