Since we crossed the International Date Line heading west, we skipped New Years Day entirely. We left Hawaii on New Years Eve and arrived in Auckland on Jan. 2, 2008. Really cool when you think about it, not only are we shellbacks but also time travelers! Didn't get a lot of sleep on the plane since Bob can't really relax/sleep on a plane; it's the whole control thing. When we arrived at the airport, we went through customs. Because a majority of the indigenous species were wiped out, New Zealand is strict on what comes into the country so that they can keep the species they currently have. Such things as our hiking boots were looked at for any trace of algae (rock snot is something that is currently found in the waterways) and any flora collected in Hawaii and pressed in our journals was also taken. A cute little beagle was used to sniff out any flora and hit the jack-pot with our group.
We loaded up the van and packed the trailers with our gear and headed to Rotoura on the left side of the road. I rode shotgun with Doc. It has been awhile since I've ridden with him and needless to say, riding with him while driving on the left side of the road sure kept me from nodding off on the 3 hour ride. The road we took was the Thermal Explorer Highway and there was evidence of faults and compressional stress in the strata along the way.
We stopped at Te Puia Cultural Center to view the geothermal activity and to learn about the Maori culture. The sign greeting us said "a mata ki a kite, awaha ki a rongo, a ringa ki a marama" which translates into "Show me and I'll see, tell me and I'll hear, involve me and I'll understand." We meet our tour guide Paul McGarvey and walked around the grounds. Paul took us into the meeting place and spoke about the Maori language and about the importance of the carvings.
The Maori speak only one native language as compared to other cultures. For example the Native Americans speak over 100 languages, the Aborigines over 120. There are only 36 letters in the Maori language and only 15 letters in their alphabet. Oral tradition, singing, and carvings told of the Maori people. The Maori believed God created man imperfect so the carvings show a distorted image. These figures represented chiefs and chiefest. Slowly they started to become more human-like due to the settling of Europeans. The head is the most sacred part of a person (knowledge/wisdom). The carved figure heads have large eyes and the tongue is protruding. The enlarging of the eyes and protrusion of the tongue is used as an intimidation to scare enemies and to prepare the warriors physically and spiritually before battle. This can be seen in the ha'ki, a traditional war dance. 3 fingers were carved to represent birth, life, and death and sometimes a 4th finger was used to represent the afterlife. The spiral designs represent birds and trees and the abalone shell was used to represent power. Carvings done between the legs represent the next generation. The carvings told of the great deeds, battles, and people. The totalia tree, similar to redwood, is a softwood that is used for the carvings. The wood is stained with red volcanic clay and with shark liver oil for shine. Now local stains and paints are used.
The Maori migrated to New Zealand from Tahiti around 1350 AD because of starvation. Kupa an explorer and 7 canoes (200-250 people/canoe) left Tahiti to New Zealand. The Maori never used stars to navigate. They used the warm and cold seasons. The voyage to NZ happened when the weather became warmer. The canoes were pointed south and navigated through the water. They took birds to release to determine if land was close and followed the migration of the whales. 6 of the 7 canoes landed on the North Island and the last canoe on the South Island. The South Island is colder so 90% of the Maori culture is on the North Island. The tribe names come from the names of the 7 canoes.
The Maori tattoos were documented by Captain James Cook. Facial tattoos were done to men once they entered manhood. Women had their lips and chin done after the age of 30. Later on the thighs and buttocks were tattooed on the men. The dyes used was from a black flightless beetle. Bird's barbs were used to carve, not tap, the dye into the face. It took about 4 to 5 days for a complete tattoo. Today more of the traditional art form is coming back.
The area Te Puia is located is filled with geothermal activity. Water is located next to hot magma and the thermal pressure is released causing a geyser. Since the Earth's crust is the thinnest there is a lot of activity. Silicon deposits take about 25 years for 1 inch to form. Sulfur can be seen around the strata along the geyser. Pohutu is the largest geyser in NZ. When it erupts it can shoot geothermal water up to 30 m. The heated water was used by the Maori to cook food and to bathe. Minerals are found in the water and the public hospital has access to the geothermal area. The mud from the mud pools are used to relieve pain and in beauty treatments.
The two national symbols for NZ are the silver fern and the Kiwi bird. The ferns were used to mark the way when traveling in the forest at night. The Kiwi birds are flightless. They have no wings and not tails but very strong legs for running. The nickname for New Zealanders is Kiwis and is due to the Kiwi boot polish used by WWII soldiers.Paul sure gave us a lot of information for our first day in NZ and after not having a lot of sleep the brain was in slow melt down. We had a few hours before heading to Tamaki for a heritage experience, a hangi.
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