Kia ora!

The next day went by pretty quickly. It consisted mostly of packing, kai (by the way, this is pronounced like "sky"), a quick game of cricket (not nearly as exciting or terrifying as rugby), and a relaxing bus ride. We say goodbye to the YMCA staff that hosted us at the lodge. It is traditional that good-byes be made public, all the hosts and guests being together at once) to give the guests a chance to say their thanks and express their gratitude so all may hear. I was a little put out by how few people stood up to say thank you, but I tried to attribute that to tiredness. All the ISFA staff thanked the YMCA staff for their excellent service for the 15 years of their doing orientations at Shakespeare. I, too, got to my feet and told them that I could not have imagined a greater welcome anywhere. They really were incredible. Imagine going to a foreign country and being fed excellent kai (though I imagine, they might not call it that everywhere), given comfortable beds, hot showers, and a friendly hello every time you get near the kitchen, where your hosts have been slaving over a hot stove literally all day long. The least I could do was stand up and tell them how awesome I thought they were for doing for us!

We left Shakespeare Park and made a quick stop at Auckland's biggest mall, just long enough to purchase cell phones. In what felt like no time, we were stepping off the bus at the marae.

I think it's fair to say this was (and still is) my favorite thing that I've had the privilege to experience so far. I won't go into extreme detail about all the ritualistic things that we did for fear of spoiling it for anyone who might get the chance to do this for themselves in the future. Really, people, I can't recogimend this kind of experience enough. 

A quick background story about the Te Hana Marae: Back in the early 2000s, the small town of Te Hana was not the kind of place you wanted to visit. They had countless problems such as poor drinking water, sewage bubbling up in people's front lawns, community apathy, school attendance and so on. Just about every issue you could imagine, it was going on in this tiny spot just a few hours from Auckland. When the "local" politicians refused to help, certain members of the Maori community stepped forward to make a change. 

Only eight years later, the entire community had a complete turnaround. With the help of the Te Hana Charitable Trust, the water is clean, the sewage foundation is fixed, and they now have community involvement in their foundational culture. Their biggest project has been creating a marae and cultural center that they have designed to be open to the public and tourists alike. It's pretty awesome. 

When we first arrived, we piled our sleeping bags and belongings on the porch then we went around to the main entrance to take part in a traditional welcoming ceremony, called a powhiri ("wh" is pronounced like an English "F," by the way, making this word pronounced "poe-firi"). Again, I could go into extreme detail, but I don't want to spoil things for anyone who may get a chance to do it themselves. (If you would like a more detailed explination of what goes on during a powhiri, check out this website: http://www.korero.maori.nz/forlearners/protocols/powhiri.html. 

Kia ora, by the way, means "welcome" or "hello" in Maori. It is pronounced like "key-or-ra" but very quickly, almost as one word. 

(Pictures provided by IFSA-Butler:)

 (The blowing of a conch shell signally our arrival to the tribe.)

You may notice that the last image looks like it was taken in a very modern building. This building was the main house of the marae and also the most spiritual. And yes, this is a modern take on what a traditional main house would look like. This house was designed to be "user friendly" to visitors who are non-Maori, need physical assistance, or appreciate the use of chairs rather than sitting on the ground. Later that night we stacked the chairs and slept in this building, all on individual mattresses, sheets, and pillows provided by the Te Hana staff.

After formerly being inviting and accepted on the Maori we had some kai (surprise, surprise) and got to talk to a few of the staff. Tom was our main guide and one of the members of the Trust. Mata (the woman wearing the maroon shirt in the first picture) was another staff member who was fascinated by our american accents and our home states. 

We then went back into the main house to set up our beds and introduce ourselves in traditional Maori, of course! After dinner, we headed outside the main gates to explore the community workshop, which contains all the projects the members of the community have contributed. 

 (A table-long weaving made in one single day!)

(A close up.)

 (Background: Tom explaining all the different kinds of artwork. Foreground: the long boat which will one day be on top of the roof of the main house we just left.)

 (The guardians that will one day stand at the entrance to the main house. Each guardian is unique to each Maori tribe.)

(Not sure what they plan to do with this, but it's SO COOL!)

Finally the moment I had been waiting for! Once done in the workshop, it was getting dark and we were going to go "back in time" to the 1800's traditional Maori village. Tom was our guide and explained that we would be considered outsiders and dangerous by the Maori warriors. But luckily, we had "elected" two chiefs to present a peace offering on our behalves. Again, not to give away all the surprises, I'll just provided you with some pictures of our tour of the village. 

Oh yeah. And for anyone who has never seen a Haka (traditional Maori performance) in person, add it to your bucket list. If you would like an example of what it's like, you can see the New Zealand Rugby Team (best in the world) perform it at the championship game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMCAV6Yd0Y&list=FLsSdiv_GJPsiSqiQDAjU4Ew&index=14&feature=plpp_video 

 (The large house on the right is what a traditional main house would look like. Can you see the guardian at the very top?)

 (Part of the haka.)

 (Mata giving the traditional welcome "karanga.")

 (The Maori chief and the women.)

 (The Te Hana ancestor and guardian.)

I need to interrupt the pictures to explain another thing. Some people at home will know that one of the things I was really looking forward to seeing at the marae were the poi. Poi are a small white ball on the end of a short string used in Maori performances. To see a video of them in action, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hu2g5h0hNM. 

So imagine my excitement when the next stop on our midnight tour was in a clearing of housing and saw women playing with poi! After the woman explained that the poi had originally been used by the male warriors to warm up their wrists for combat, but later used in performances by both men and women, I went right up to the lady and started firing questions at her. She was super nice but eventually said, "Now, I don't want to give anything away...you'll just have to wait and see."

Sure enough, a few short stops later, we arrived at the small (untraditional) stage where the Maori villagers performed several songs, gave examples of certain weapons were used, and, yes, showed just how the poi were to be used. 

(Check out his tatoos!)

(Now, I don't pretend to be an expert when it comes to photography and I'm known to take quite a few blurry pictures, but this has got to be the greatest blurry picture I've ever snapped. So cool!)

(I absolutely love this picture. You really get to see the poi in action! Also, Mata's (R) smile is priceless.)

 For their next "act," Mata told the audience that four lucky people would be invited to come up and try the poi for themselves. As soon as she said it, I knew the woman I had asked all my poi related questions to would be on her way to find me. It wasn't very hard for her; I was in the center of the front row! I gladly accepted her hand as she smiled and pulled me towards the stage. How did I do? Well see for yourself!

 (The lady: "Hold one in each hand." Me: "Like this?" Poi: "swings uncontrollably.") 

(Lady: "Hmm, maybe I better take one?" Me: "LOL.")

 (Me: "Am I getting the hang of it?")

I definitely need more practice but I can't wait until the next time I get a chance to use the poi!

After a few minutes, we were asked to return to our seats for a few more songs, laughs, and then it was off to bed. 

The next day, we had an very early breakfast (7AM) and an even earlier goodbye. One day was not enough time spent with these people. After breakfast, I ran back into the dinning area to get a picture of this, my favorite weaving:

Mata found me a little later and told me that the weaving is meant to represent Te Hana's community and it's outreach over the last eight years. Everyone started out very individual and separate, but soon came together into a tight knot, until they achieve a sort of "freedom," and now see that they have no limit to what they can achieve. 

(Mata and Me.)

That morning, during the formal farewell ceremony, we were again invited to stand up and speak our thank yous (like we had done at the Lodge). A few more people stood up to express their gratitude this time, which made me very happy. When it was my turn, I said how warmed my heart had been by their incredible hospitality (did I mention they cooked and served us?) and how I believed their example how they had improved their community should be an example of determination and caring for the entire world to see. I really do believe that. After the student had said what was on their minds, the IFSA staff member who had asked "Why do we need to understand Maori culture?" got up and told the Te Hana staff the story of his asking that question and "a student" saying it was because the Maori culture was an integral part of New Zealand culture. More blushing took place. 

I think the main thing I walked away with from the marae experience was how unbelievably kind, warm, and hilarious these people were. Each one was immensely approachable and kind. After the IFSA staff member sat back down, the village elder stood up and said, "You are all family to us now. If you are ever in New Zealand again and are in the area, even if it is 50 years from now, you can come here. You just tell them you came here in 2012 and you will have a roof put over your head, food to fill your stomach, and a family to come home to." 

Wow. Just wow. 

And with that, we said our final goodbyes and returned to the bus, which would take us to the Auckland Airport for our trip to Wellington. 

 So if you were to ask me, "Rachel, did you like going to the marae?" I hope this picture taken moments after the end of the musical performance the night before can answer your question:

Does that look like a happy person to you? :]