Maori Culture

Just to add a bit of culture to our travels, we thought it would be important to learn as much as we could about the local customs. What better way to do it then to participate in a traditional Maori feast...

Before I explain our story, I need to provide you with a bit more background of the Maori people as they were the first people to come to New Zealand and settle. They traveled from the polynesian islands. The Maori people are often known as Great Warriors who protected what was theirs and have maintained their history and beliefs to this day. They are also the ones who came up with the Hakka. An ancient chant that called on the gods to give them strength in their time of battle. It would often be performed prior to any fight as it is used to intimidate their opponents. Today, however, it is used only in New Zealand rugby matches as well as a form of entertainment.

Our story will begin and end with the "Hongi feast".

The food is prepared by the natural steam coming from the earth and will be buried there for at least 3 hours. While we wait for the feast, we are welcomed by the tribes to watch performances by their fellow tribesmen. Before they begin the performance however, the crowd must appoint a chief to represent the "tribe of several nations" and pass the test of Friend or Foe.

I thought this would be the best time to test out my leadership skills, therefore volunteered myself to become the Chief. It was not an easy task to represent over 300 people, stand in front of the tribes as they check you out and finally having to give a speech to the opposing Chief. It did have its rewards though as we had front row seats to the entire performance, I was able to keep the piece offering that was presented to my people and of course first dibs on the food when it arrived.

It was the best feast we had eaten thus far in New Zealand. The entertainment was top notch and we did go home learning quite a bit of Maori culture.