“Kia ora” is the Maori greeting, like hello, directly translating to “be well and healthy.” Our week with the Maori has flown by. Our days have been jam packed, getting up early and working hard all morning, and finishing the day off seeing some of the beautiful sites New Zealand has to offer.
We arrived at the Marae (the communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes) on Monday. We were welcomed with a traditional Maori song by smiley Richard, his lovely wife Pearl, Richard’s sister Jane, and their sweet old mother who they look after. Then there was our favorite angsty fifteen year old boy who, ironically, goes by the name Rage. We all exchanged songs, names, where we’re from and a little bit about ourselves. The family then greeted us with the hongi, their traditional way of saying hello where they touch their forehead to another person’s forehead, somewhat similar to an “eskimo kiss.”
After the meet and greet, we got down to business. Our job was to help the Maori family chop wood using large, tractor like, professional wood splitting machines. You simply place the tree stumps under a triangle piece of iron and pull a lever which splits them. It was hard work, but everyone got the hang of it and by the third and final day of work, we were all doing a great job. After work, they prepared a delicious dinner for us. The food here in New Zealand has spoiled us! We have all become big fans of Tim Tams, a classic “Kiwi” (a term used to refer to New Zealand locals) chocolate coated cookie, and avid drinkers of Milo, New Zealand’s form of hot chocolate packed with vitamins and protein.
A couple of afternoons after a long, sweaty morning at work, we’d all cool off by jumping into the refreshing, salty creek. Finally, on our free day on Thursday, the family took us to Gibbs Farm (Alan Gibbs created the first car to drive on land and go in water). It was something across between a modern art sculpture park and a zoo! We all climbed around these perfectly green, sunny hills for hours looking at the different sculptures, the like the “Giant Tissue”, and gawking at the alpacas roaming free, the emus, who were less scared of us than we were of them, the beautiful, mystical zebras, the shaggy headed yaks, and my personal favorite, the tall, graceful giraffes. We could have watched these long necked beauties eat hay for hours!
The Maori people have been so kind and welcoming to us, showing us their way of life, sharing their beautiful beliefs and values with us, and caring for us as if we were their own. We all feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this unique, beautiful culture. We departed this morning with more songs and a heartfelt goodbye.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned next week as our adventures continue.
Rosie Geist
P.S. Wasn’t able to upload the pictures just yet, but I’m working on it!