Rotorua, Tauranga New Zealand
February 1 - 2, 2024 - Thursday was supposed to be a sea day for us, but as we left Auckland we learned that we would actually arrive in Tauranga about 1 PM on the 1st and dock overnight as opposed to arriving early the morning of the 2nd.
The weather was perfect so it allowed for wonderful free time on Thursday to walk around the town and enjoy the beaches that surrounded the Port of Tauranga in the town named for the mountain that juts out into the ocean at the edge of this peninsula - Mt. Maunganui. We docked and were cleared to get off the ship just after lunch, and we took the opportunity to walk thru the town and do some shopping. After a few hours we returned to the ship and Cathy went swimming and Ann Marie went back ashore to walk around the base of the mountain. It was just over two miles around the base of the mount, and gave some wonderful views that just could not be captured in pictures. And there was a path from the end of that “base walk” to the main beach of Mount Maunganui, which provided a “boardwalk like” opportunity to walk while enjoying the ocean air. Cathy then came back ashore and we enjoyed a wonderful meal at a local restaurant (Osteria) and then walked back to the beach and took off our shoes to walk along the beach/in the water. The sand was perfect for walking - hard enough so you don’t sink, but soft as silk on your feet. And despite the temperature and the sun — it was not too hot to walk on. We headed back aboard because despite being allowed to dock overnight, the port did issue a “curfew” that required us to be onboard by 9 PM.
On Friday, we had signed up for a 5.5 hour excursion to experience a bit of the Maori life — the native people of New Zealand. There were a few different options for Maori experiences, and we opted for one entitled “Maori Life and Sustainable Living”, as it both shared their long standing traditions but also focused on their lives now. It was a truly exceptional experience. Our guide, Tu, met us at the ship and joined us on the 1 hour bus ride to the “land that his family belongs to”, as they don’t see themselves as “owning” the land but that they belong to the land and are therefore caretakers of the land. We had a traditional welcoming ceremony that ended with a Hongi greeting, which consisted of touching of noses and sharing breath. Given COVID and some family members that were not present being sick, it was just our guide and a family member that did that greeting. After the ceremony our group broke into 3 groups of 10, who then cycled through 3 different opportunities to exchanged with the family members. First we drove with Cheryl (one of the elders) in their van up to the highpoint of the land where they talked about the “trellised” landscape their ancestors created, by hand before they had tools, as defense from invaders. They pointed out the borders of their family land, which was returned to them in 1980, but only 0.06 % of the land was returned to the Maori people in New Zealand. This tribe however is making the most of both the land and their compensation ($14 million) given to them to invest and develop for generations to come. They have a working dairy farm and a newly planted kiwi orchard on their land. They also used the money to purchase a forest and other land that they lease out to industry. It is amazing to see how they are nurturing the land, but also investing in a way that will enrich current and future generations. Our second experience was in the Mauri - the meeting house — where two of the family members (Fitu and Firani) answered all our questions. They talked about what their parents/grandparents generation did to bring back the Maori language, which is now an officially recognized language in New Zealand and is taught in the schools, when 2 generations ago missionaries would beat people who spoke the native language. They talked about the meaning for the designs in their Mauri building and also the stories behind their tattoos. They were so open in sharing their culture with us and are so committed to keeping their traditions alive. Our final meeting with Tomani, who shared with us their fishing and cooking methods. He was a funny, engaging and self-deprecating. He talked about the men doing the cooking (with women giving orders from inside the dining hall). Their celebratory meals are the “Hangi’, which is done by cooking using steam coming from fires made within the sand using rocks and wood. After we finished our discussions, we shared a wonderful meal with the family in the dining room (chicken, pork, pumpkin, potatoes, coleslaw and seafood chowder. It was fabulous. We then planted a tree together on their land, something each Viking group does with them, and they told us we were all welcome back to visit the family and our tree anytime.
One word we learned today wraps up our whole experience with the Maori Tribe we spent the day with: Manaakii. It means care for others, and putting others first — and how that is the core of their beliefs. It was not just about welcoming us, or providing us a good experience & meal —it was truly about putting us, and their care for us, first. And that is something they do everyday for everyone they encounter. What a wonderful world we would be in if everyone did the same.
