Matai in Rotorua

It has been tricky posting these last few days, but that's because I have been in transition. I am now in Singapore. I wish I could post every night about the things I did, but the fact is I don't have that much access to the internet, nor a computer. I am now lucky enough to be at a hostel with free internet, however I have to limit my time to let other guests on the computer too. I haven't forgotten about posting though, because there is so much amazing stuff in New Zealand that I have to write about.

After Zorbing in Rotorua we decided to take a little cultural experience and learn about the Maori traditions. The Maori are the indeginous people that lived in New Zealand before it was colonized. In fact, it is believed that the first Maori came from Tahiti, because they were forced off the land. The boarded they simple boats, packed some sweet potatoes, and searched for a new place to live. I don't know how long it took them, but when they saw a big white cloud, they knew they had reached new land. In Maori, big white cloud means, Aetoroa, which is the Maori name of New Zealand.

The previous Maoria tribes were a ferocious and war-like people. They had to be to protect their land. You see, once the population got too large some group would be forced off the good land so all the tribes learned skills to prepare them for battle. As colonization took place these skills where turned into songs and dances. Now most of those traditions stay alive through the performances given to tourists. That's where I come in. I really wanted to see a Maori performance They are my favorite of all the polynesian cultures. In Rotorua there were several companies/tribes to choose from, because one-third of Rotorua's population are Maori. After asking the campground staff about our options, we decided to choose the company/tribe that they seemed most excited about, Matai.

We were told that we would be picked up from out campground, taken to their tribe's land, we would get to see a performance, enjoy a delicous Maori feast, and then walk around their tribes land looking for glowworms. All for the price of $80 NZ dollars. Since it was cold outside there tribe also provided nice cozy blankets to keep warm!

At half past five we were picked up in an old school bus at our campground. From there the driver picked up several other tourists on the way to the performance. Eventually we got there and paid as we walked in. Now, New Zealand is so laid back. I forgot to bring our booking form, which was given to us at the campground (the staff at the campground actually called and created the booking) but they said, "no worries." I love that!

After a breif introduction about the upcoming evening, we were escorted into the tribal land to observe a canoe of Maori men approaching. They were barely dressed and had painted tatooes on the butts (sexy!). They were preparing to do the haka, or war dance. Traditionally it was meant to intimate the guests to find out if they came in peace or to fight. After grunting and moving around all fancy the cheif places a peace offering in front of the chief of the other tribe (for our evening it was a chosen guest). I like watching the haka, because it is a bit intimating. I would be scared to fight against men that scary faces at me and tried to scare me with their moves.

Since our guest leader accepted the peace offering we continued to watch the performance. I had seen many polynesian dances before, but I have not always understood the meaning behind the dances. I found out that each dance represented a skill that could be used in war. It was a way for training the young ones. They did a dance with sticks, which would have helped in battle since that is what they would have used to fight. Their were dances that required a lot of wrist movement, which would have built the strength of the arms and wrists. I also enjoyed the performance, becasue we got to hear the Maori music as well.

After the performance we returned to a large tent where our food was served buffet style. We got to enjoy food which was steamed in the ground, such as chicken, lamb, and sweet potato. In addition we had a variety of salads to choose from, plus they made stuffing for the English! It was a delicious meal and our first one that we did not cook ourselves.

After extending our bellies we were asked to get up again and walk around. Thank goodness, because I needed to walk off what I just ate. It was then that we got to see glowworms hanging from rocks. I truly enjoyed the evening, however we hadn't been staying up that late since we arrived in NZ, so I was ready for bed when we returned to the campervan.

For those touring in New Zealand I think it is most important to see a Maori performance to get a full grasp of the country. I had such a good time with Matai, that I would highly recommend this experience!