6 December 2013 ~ Te Puia

Listening to: Jackie Greene ~ Gone Wonderin'


I'm back in the States, but still have some escapades from New Zealand to share.

On one of my daytrips the tour stopped at Te Puia, outside of Rotatua. The Māori tradition lives on at Te Whakarewarewa, with Māori culture, and the National Carving and Weaving Schools of New Zealand.

       

I didn't even try to pronounce the name of the place. And the guide said it wasn't even the longest word in the language. Impressive with only 14 letters in their alphabet.

We gathered outside the main entrance to the Marae (meeting place). A traditional karanga (welcome) marks the start of song and dance inside the meeting house.

Here, they performed the poi dance,

http://youtu.be/cc0zYw4M4WQ

the ferocious haka (war challenge),

http://youtu.be/yWohMGJkQf8

and the tititorea (stick games).  During the tititorea, eight sticks fly from four different directions. The receiver must deftly catch and flick the sticks on while keeping in time with the rhythm of the song.

http://youtu.be/jTvEplJLMQU

The tapaka was used to store food as well as treasured items of the villages.