New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND
I travelled to New Zealand for a two weeks at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015 to learn more about Maori culture.

Maori

The Maori people of New Zealand have a proud heritage which they have shared with visitors from all around the world. For hundreds of years, they have been hosting and welcoming visitors into their homes and backyards, demonstrating their traditional dances.*

Traditional Maori carving, with its intricate detailing and curved lines, can transport the viewer.*

A commissioning group relates its history and ancestral stories to a carver, who then draws on traditional motifs to interpret or embody the stories and ancestors in wood or composite fibreboard.*

The Poi was used, many years ago, by the indigenous Maori people of New
Zealand.

Weaving was an essential art that provided clothing, nets and cordage, footwear for rough country travel, mats to cover earthen floors, and kete (bags).*

Jason Lincoln Bruce Wells talks about Maori conservation and the importance of embracing modern culture.

Pete Beech of Myth and Legends Eco-tours describes treaty issues and Maori leadership.

James Wardrick talks about the Maori today.

Maori greeting paves the way to visiting Maori land.

Contemporary Maori dance often takes its inspiration from kapa haka and traditional Maori imagery.*

It's a great opportunity to learn about the indigenous culture of New Zealand.*

Taiaha stick fighting is often part of a Maori demonstration. A taiaha is a close-quarters staff weapon made from either wood or whalebone and used for short, sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with quick footwork on the part of the wielder.

At Whakarewarewa Thermal Village you can eat tasty, buttery sweetcorn pulled straight out of the hot mineral pool -- the only genuine geothermal hangi in town.*

Rieghora Huagh shares a Maori song and explains its meaning.

Mital Maori Village offers a popular three-hour evening event with a concert, hangi and glowworm bushwalk.*

Larry Coke and his partner entertain guests in Franz Josef Glacier Village.

Jason Phillips shares his knowledge of Maori musical instruments.

Kids dive for coins thrown from the bridge in Whakarewarewa.

The spectacular glaciers of Franz Josef and Fox are remarkable for many reasons, including their rates of accumulation and descent, and their proximity to both the loftiest peaks of the Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea around 10km away.*

Just west of central Rotorua is Kuirau Park, a volcanic area. It has a crater lake, pools of boiling mud and plenty of huffing steam.*

Maurice Manawatu of Maori Tours Kaikoura explains indigenous use of trees and plants.

Purportedly the world's third-oldest wooden ship, the Edwin Fox was built of teak in Calcutta and launched in 1853.*

Women play a traditional stick game.

A Maori performance featuring poi ball.

It's quite amazing to consider that it was done with stone tools, themselves painstakingly made, until the advent of iron.*

The biggest change in carving has been in the use of new mediums and tools.*

It was used to increase their flexibility and strength in their hands and arms as well as improving coordination.

Some woven items were major works -- korowai (cloaks) could take years to finish. Woven predominately with flax and bird feathers, they are worn now on ceremonial occasions, a stunning sight.*

Larry Coke talks about the challenges of growing up Maori and the importance of taking care of the land.

John Gregory Norton talks about whaling in New Zealand in the 1960s.

Photos on display at the Whakarewarewa Thermal Village.

The haka is not only a war dance -- it is used to welcome visitors, honour achievements, express identity or to put forth very strong opinions.*

The exploration of pre-European life also provides inspiration.*

The two big activities are concerts and hangi feasts, often packaged together in an evening's entertainment featuring the famous hongi (Maori greeting; the pressing of foreheads and noses, and sharing of life breath) and haka and poi dances.*

Pete Beech of Myth and Legends Eco-tours demonstrates some Maori musical instruments.

Larry Coke and his partner entertain guests in Franz Josef Glacier Village.

Maori girls play a Maori ring game.

Maori teenagers, like all teenagers, discuss topics that interest them.

The first sight of Milford sound is stunning. Sheer rocky cliffs rise out of still, dark waters.*

A military graveyard is located behind St. Faith's Anglican Church in Ohinemutu village near Rotorua.

Maurice Manawatu of Maori Tours Kaikoura underlines the importance of introducing oneself in the Maori way.

During its chequered career it carried troops to the Crimean War, convicts to Australia and immigrants to New Zealand.*

Maori couple entertain tourists at Franz Josef Glacier.

New Zealand is a special place. It is home to breathtaking mountainous ranges, geothermal valleys, temperate rainforests, and pristine waters.

A geyser is a rare kind of hot spring that is under pressure and erupts, sending jets of water and steam into the air. Geysers are made from a tube-like hole in the Earth's surface that runs deep into the crust. The tube is filled with water.

The apex of carving today is the whare whakairo or carved meeting house.

Wahine (female) dancers perform the Maori Poi, a dance performed with balls attached to flax strings swung rhythmically.

Sheep-shearing shows near Kaikoura are popular with tourists.

Hautivi Pawhar talks about the importance of the family in Maori culture.

Christian Heneia Gardner talks about growing up Maori.

New Zealand is one of the most varied and spectacular series of landscapes in the world, ranging from snow-dusted mountains and drowned glacial valleys to rainforests, dunelands and an otherworldly volcanic plateau.*

Haka involves chanted words, vigorous body movements, and pukana (when performers distort their faces, eyes bulging with the whites showing, perhaps with tongue extended.*

Whakarewarewa Thermal Village puts on Maori cultural shows.

Seal colonies are found around New Zealand.

Taiaha are usually between 5 to 6 feet in length with three parts -- the tongue, the head, and the body.

Whakarewarewa is a living village, where tangata whenua (the locals) still reside, as they and their ancestors have for centuries.*

For Maori, tattooing was (and for some, still is) a rite of passage, which meant it was highly revered and ritualised. The tattooing would begin usually during adolescence.*

While Maori culture on the South Island is much less evident than in the north, it can still be found in pockets, and particularly around coastal Marlborough.*

A Maori boy shares a Maori song.

Maurice Manawatu of Maori Tours Kaikoura sings to a tree.

Kaikoura is a pretty peninsula town backed by the snowcapped peaks of the Seaward Kaikoura range. There are few places in the world with so much wildlife around: whales, dolphines, NZ fur seals, penguins, shearwaters, petrels and wandering albatross all stop by or make this area home.*

In recent times there has been a growing call to preserve more of Queen Charlotte Sound it its natural state. Regenerating forest here on Motuara Island is now one of the few areas in New Zealand to be free of predators introduced by people. Its rich birding tells a story of success.*

A resting place is very important Maori culture.

Maurice Manawatu of Maori Tours Kaikoura shares his knowledge of Maori culture and history with students.

A haka demonstration is generally part of a Maori performance.

Poi dancing takes place at a Maori performance.

* These captions are from New Zealand -- Lonely Planet's travel guide.