RSS Feed (xml)Flying Kiwi: Tuesday 22.01.08
So on our first full day in the South Island, we drove along the east coast (no longer in our awesome ol' reliable blue bus called "Lola," but some sad excuse for a coach bus that leaked - yes, leaked inside because of the bad A/C system). But besides that, it was a nice day, drying and warming up under the sun after a night of heavy rain, as we traveled along the Kaikoura Coast. We stopped at some point to look at a seal colony. The smell ain't so nice, and they move very clumsily on the rocks - they looked like lumbering blobs - but they swim very gracefully, and there must have been at least 20 of them.
Along the drive we also passed through several towns with greenstone (jade) factories, and I got my necklace at one of those stores, but I can't remember the name of the town or the store, unfortunately. And according to Maori, it's considered horribly taboo or unlucky, almost sacrilegious even (Maori say "tapu"), to buy a greenstone or bone carving for yourself, so Sam bought mine for me. The Maori word for greenstone is "pounamu."
Later on that day, there was supposed to be a whale-watching activity available, but during this time, a massive storm had moved all throughout New Zealand, starting up north and was just in the process of passing through Kaikoura. Setting up tents that night was incredibly interesting. Because of the storm, the winds were intense, taking me at least 30 minutes, maybe a full hour, to do what should have only taken me 10 minutes max.
Oh, and by the way, Kaikoura literally means "to eat crayfish."
kai = to eat
koura = crayfish
So as you would guess, Kaikoura is known for having great seafood. And no, Sam and I didn't get to try any, sorry.
To recap:
pounamu = greenstone/jade
tapu = forbidden
kai = to eat
koura = crayfish
Hope you liked your Maori lesson.
(This is where I got my necklace. And yes, I just realized the name of the store is in the picture. Silly me. Also interesting: there's a USA flag flying in the corner; I wonder why.)
I just loved the Kaikoura Coast. Absolutely beautiful.
2 comments:
lois, that place was beautiful. the sea lions or seals were a nice touch. =)
an interesting tidbit - there was a nytimes article about how north american bats are dying out. 500,000 in just a year. it was such a sad article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/
science/25bats.html?em&ex=1206763200&en=
4831699b71f120fc&ei=5087%0A
i know, so random, but the pictures of the seals triggered it. if you're bored it's interesting.
miss you!
i did like my maori lesson. haha, and that's funny about the store name... silly lois.. i kinda laughed out loud. well, i also got really sad thinking about north american bats dying out now : (. there are some in arkansas by my grandparents' house and they seem nice.
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