VictoriaApril 17
Happy Birthday Zachary! We hope you are having a great celebration in Amsterdam!
We woke up early to get everything locked down and topped up in the RV before our 9 a.m. tour. This included putting everything away that might fall off a shelf when driving, dumping the grey (sink) water, dumping the black toilet water and filling up the fresh water, among other tasks. This would normally not be a big deal, but when you’re scrambling to make it on time for a tour, it was a bit stressful.
We arrived just in time to meet Merv and Rangimarie (“heavenly peace”), husband and wife of 29 years, parents of five kids and one grandchild and owners of Tu Tika Tours, a Māori cultural tour. Tu Tika means “stand true” and reflects the integrity and authenticity of our hosts.
They greeted us with a ukulele tune and a whakatau, which is a Māori welcome blessing.
The greeting included shaking their hand and pressing our noses against theirs, which seemed like a very intimate gesture having just met them!
We then followed with a round of introductions, called mihimihi, where we shared a bit about ourselves.
We learned so much about the Māori people on our tour. They are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand and comprise about 17% of the population, with the majority living on the North Island. The ancestors came from Hawaiki in Eastern Polynesia over 1,000 years ago by way of a great fleet of seven canoes containing 150 people on each one. They paddled and used sails, relying heavily on their connection to the wind and navigating by the stars. They were great warriors and excellent navigators on the water. The seven tribes were Tainui, Te Arawa, Mātaatua, Kurahaupō, Tokomaru, Aotea and Tākitimu.
Some of the Polynesian people exited and got off the canoes at the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Easter Island to name just a few; others went to Micronesia, while many stayed on until they arrived in NZ. Most inhabited the North Island because of the warmer climate. Māori are part of a main tribe (iwi), people who are descendants of a common ancestor and associated with a certain region in NZ. Each tribe has their own sub tribe, thus there are hundreds of sub tribes. Every tribe traces their roots back to the area they came from describing it with a mountain in or near their village plus a river, canoe and meeting house (marae) that connects them to the land.
Our first stop was to Whangarei Falls, where we visited yesterday. It’s a very spiritual and cultural place for the Māori and was a popular fishing spot with the pools used for healing.
In a few days we will be in Russell in the Bay of Islands. There, we will visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, which is the site of the signing of the document between the British and the Māori people. It is NZ’s founding document. The main purpose of the Treaty was to ensure that both parties to it would live together peacefully and develop New Zealand together in partnership.
As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, this document is very controversial for the Māori people. What was meant to be peace and harmony for the two is far from it.
The treaty was signed in 1840. The English translated it from Māori to English changing up material elements in their translation. The English translation says the English have the right to control the Māori people, who signed over their rights. The one in Māori says they never did that. To this day, they are still fighting to honor their rights and preserve their legacy. The government has tried to pay them off with money and nearly all tribes have accepted it. Merv and Rangimarie’s tribe are the last in NZ not to settle.
We then drove to a forest to see the kauri trees, which are the second largest trees in the world, after the redwood, and hold a lot of significance for the Māori people.
They are seen as a taonga, or treasure, and a sign of well being of the forest and the Māori people.
After colonization, the government purchased and stole ancient forest land and cleared much of it. Extensive felling of the kauris occurred and the timber was used for masts and homes. Next week we will visit Tane Mahuta, the world’s largest kauri tree.
Like in Milford Sound, we got our feet sprayed with disinfectant at a washing station before we entered the forest to prevent a fungus from attacking the sacred kauri trees. The fungus goes through the forest and only attacks the kauri trees. There is no cure once they get infected.
A fantail was fluttering about as we entered the forest, a greeting to welcome us. Merv chanted a prayer upon entering the forest and another at the kauri tree and explained that there are only 3% of these trees left in NZ.
He explained there is an Earth Mother and Sky Father and everything in between is important like the trees and insects. Everything in their world has a guardian or god and has a special connection.
Merv and Rangimarie taught us how to make flowers from a flax leaf. It took us a few tries to get the hang of it, but eventually we did. Ours didn’t look nearly as professional as theirs but we had fun trying. Wanting to take them home as souvenirs, Merv said they would take ours since they had our “essence” and add them to the basket in their house that holds the flowers of all their previous customers. As a gesture of goodwill, they gifted us the ones they made, along with a dried version.
We continued on the walk as Merv explained more about the importance of the trees and the forest to the Māori people.
We got back in the van and Merv taught us the color song in Māori. Here’s a video of the catchy tune.
They bought us fish and chips from a local shop and took us to the Te Matau A Pohe draw bridge. The design is inspired by Māori fish hooks crafted by bone when the bridge is up and the waka, or canoe, when the bridge is down.
We ate our delicious lunch together, where we continued to learn about their history and struggles.
“The future is bright,” said Merv. Where they were once seen as half-caste and looked down upon, their language and culture are much more integrated in schools now and people are curious to learn more about the indigenous people of NZ. We ended the tour where we started at the Whangārei Visitor’s Center and we sang our much perfected Māori Color Song one last time.
After our tour, we drove to Kowharewa Bay and found a spot to freedom camp for the night overlooking a beautiful beach. There was room for about five vans/RVs and it was very quiet. We set up some chairs outside and relaxed by the water, grateful not to have a rugby team as our neighbors.
That Maori greeting is so interesting! I can imagine that people who guard their personal space will have trouble with that 🙂 Thank you for all of the info about the Maori people.
Exactly. I was taken off guard. I had no idea that was going to happen! Learning about the Māori people and their history has been a fascinating part of the trip.