The biggest country located in Polynesia, New Zealand is home to 5.12 million people. After colonization it is made up of both European and Maori cultures. Previously ruled by Great Britain, this free country is still apart of the commonwealth and sees King Charles as their (only in spirit) monarch. New Zealand is made up of two main islands along with many other smaller islands and covers roughly 103,000 square miles.
Now that we're done with that, we're off to New Zealand!
So our first stop in New Zealand is going to be at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. An important site in New Zealand located towards the tip of the North Island. This was where New Zealand's founding document was signed between British and Maori people. This agreement between the two basically decided that the British could declare that land as theirs and they would gain sole rights to buying the land, but that they would recognize that the land is truly owned by the Maori, along with given them the rights of full British subjects.
This in itself is something I find to be absolutely interesting. Given their history, it is shocking to see the British making a generally fair agreement, for their standards at least. In 1840 no less. Now of course there is a lot more to be spoken about on this, it isn't such a simple story. There were issues with the translation between the English and Maori versions of the agreement, specifically to do with the issues of sovereignty within New Zealand. These caused disagreements, leading to conflict. However things got better over time, and settlements happened in the 90's.
Currently, the Treaty Grounds are used as a place of education and sharing of culture. Along with two museums (operating from 8 am - 5 am all months), there are Maori cultural performances, an art gallery, native forests and many other aspects. It is a truly spectacular place to go when wanting to learn about the history of New Zealand and explore the culture of the native populations.
After visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, I went down a bit south to Auckland. The largest, most populated city in New Zealand, Auckland is based around 2 harbors and is home to 1.65 million people (about a 4th of the country's population). While I was staying here, I went to the most wonderful restaurant to speak to an old friend of mine who is an expert on Maori culture. The Grove in Auckland serves modern New Zealand food and can be found next to the historical Saint Patrick's Cathedral. While I was there I did a 6 course meal (they offer 6 and 8 course meal options for $195-$235) including an intriguing dish know a Paua (and also known as Abalone). This dish is made from edible sea snails and often includes pasta, cheese, and a cream sauce.
I sat down at The Grove with my friend who is a Maori cultural expert. I wanted to hear about some of the stories from Maori folklore, and here is the most interesting one I heard. This story is about how Maui (you may know him from Moana) helped form the islands of New Zealand.
"The tale of Maui pulling up a fish is used to explain how the land we are currently on, how New Zealand, came to be. One day Maui's brothers decided to go fishing, but didn't want to bring Maui along, so he hid himself under the boards of the canoe they were using. One they got out to sea, he revealed himself, much to his brothers' chagrin. Since they didn't allow him to join, he had to fashion himself a great fishhook from paua shells and his grandmother's jawbone. He didn't get any bait from his brothers, so he used his own blood by punching himself in the face. He cast out his fishhook and said a karakia, a Maori prayer, to give him aid in pulling up the world. Maui would eventually pull up an enormous fish.
Maui, thankful to the gods for his catch, went to find a priest who could help him in doing the proper ritual of thanks to the gods for their help. While he was gone his brothers, who he warned to not touch the fish, began scaling, cutting and eating the fish. The gods, angered by the brothers' actions, caused Maui's catch to thrash around violently. Once the sun began to rise, the fish became completely solid, unable to be smoothed out as it was previously. This is how the northern island, also known as Aotearoa, became so rough and mountainous. If it wasn't for the brothers the island would've been completely flat. Some groups believe the fish to be the north island, while Maui's canoe is believed to be the south island, since they both resemble the island shapes."
I find it to be absolutely interesting how our natural world is explained through a culture's stories. Each group, each culture takes the beliefs they have, what they hold to be true, and use it to explain the naturally occuring phenomena around them. In this case, the Maori use the story of Maui to explain how their islands, their home, came to be. It is truly interesting to hear about.
After speaking with my friend about the story of Maui, I wanted to share with you guys something truly unique to New Zealand, something that you couldn't find a similar thing of somewhere else. Here for New Zealand that is a festival competition known as Te Matatini. Held every two years around New Zealand, this competition is made up of kapa haka performers around the country. Kapa haka translates to "group dance" and involves singing, dancing and hand-to-hand combat as performed by Maori warriors.
Kapa haka is performed in multiple songs, and a full performance takes up to 40 minutes. Normally occurring songs and dance can include a warm up song (also known as waiata tira), an action song (also known as waiata-a-ring), a challenge (also known as a haka) and a closing song (also known as whakawatea). These are only an example of some of the normal choices for songs/dances.
This festival, and Kapa haka as a whole, is something I highly recommend to any travelers coming to New Zealand who want to experience the local culture. It is a glimpse at the traditions of the native population and gets you insight into the culture of others.
Well friends, that is my trip to New Zealand! I've loved my time in Oceania, and up next I'll be seeing you guys in Asia!
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