Bay of Islands - Waka Tour

Flying Kiwi: Tuesday 15.01.08

In the morning Sam and I went on a Waka Tour - a waka is a Maori war canoe. They taught us how to paddle, although I can't remember any of the verbal commands. I also learned a puhaka (or was it puhana?), which is a war chant/glare. After the verbal command and chant, everyone glares to the left (or right, depending on the command) while holding up their paddles with wide-open eyes, and the guys also stick out their tongues (you can see what the glares look like in the group picture below).

Our guide was the chief of the tribe we were headed to see. On the other side of the river was the land on which his family's marae was situated. A marae is a family temple, considered sacred, where Maori spiritual and traditional ceremonies are held. A little side note: our guide technically isn't Maori; his people had inhabited New Zealand before the Maori came, and his people had embraced and shared their culture with the newcomers. I thought that was pretty interesting, but I'll call them Maori anyway, just to make it easier.

Getting off the canoe on the other side of the river, we learned how a foreigner is welcomed (or not welcomed, depending on the outcome). The chief of our group (some Aussie not part of Flying Kiwi) declared that we came in peace by accepting a feather dropped by one of the people in the tribe - to do this he slowly picks it up, stands up again, and holds it out on his palm, all the while never breaking eye-contact with the Maori who dropped it in front of him. The one who dropped it is the grandson of our guide (therefore he is also the chief of the tribe like his grandfather), and he's only 8 years old. He made elaborate threatening moves with his weapon - a Maori dueling spear/staff called a "taiaha" - as he approached us, before dropping the feather in front of him. After accepting our presence, he took off running, and a woman began chanting aloud in Maori language, which was supposed to announce to all the warriors hiding around us (there weren't any) that the incoming group was not to be touched.

Then we entered their marae, a short, humbling one-room shack made out of rough planks of wood. Against the wall opposite the door was a "photo" of the guide's father, which the tribe views as their guardian. Our guide asked if we could see the photo, but as we looked for the missing picture frame, we realized that the carved wooden statue perched in the middle of the table was what he considered a "portrait" of his father. As we looked at the statue, the guide mentioned that this was also supposed to be a moment to remember our own lost loved ones, and in that moment, share in the grief and remembrance together. So I thought of Cindy. Her 21st birthday had just passed too, if you hadn't notice the dates.

Then sitting down, they proceeded with the spiritual ceremony, starting with a great monologue spoken in the Maori language by the 8-year-old chief. When he had finished, the rest of the family (the guide/chief, his two daughters, his three grandchildren - one of which is the 8-year-old boy, - his nephew, and his future son-in-law) stood and proceeded to sing a song in honor of their chief and tribe. During this entire time I'd been studying the marae, the family, their clothing. So traditional, but so real; not some sham or show that they put on just to please the tourists. This is how they live!

When the song finished, our own "tribe" was invited to sing in honor of our "chief," therefore we simply sang a single refrain of "You Are My Sunshine," haha. Then everyone got to say a word to the family if they wished, inviting us to share our culture with them. Others stood up and said a couple words. I myself even thanked them for inviting us into their home and culture, and since they also asked us to speak any other language that was available to us, I simply said in Korean, Many Blessings for Your New Year - sae hae bok mah ni bah de sae yo. You Koreans know what I'm talking about. It's the only thing I could think of at the moment, particularly since I'm so shy about my Korean-speaking abilities, and New Years had just passed a couple weeks beforehand. Not bad, eh?

Getting off the subject.

The ceremony concluded with all the guests going around and greeting each member of the Maori as done in their tradition: touching foreheads and noses, saying "kia ora" ("greetings"). Then it was time to leave, so we did the usual photo-op, and climbed back into the waka to return to the other side of the river.

We did stop by the Huaruru Falls again, this time arriving by waterway, and heard the falls thundering around us as the guides maneuvered the waka toward it. Very cool.