I had a great evening at the Tamaki Maori Village. It was still raining so we didn't spend much time in the village but went directly into the Wharenui (the big house) to watch traditional Maori song and dance.
Later on in the performance, the men were taught some of the moves. It was hilarious to see these old white guys slapping their thighs, sticking out their tongues and bulging their eyes.
Afterwards, we enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared the traditional way in the earth oven. They heat volcanic rocks until they are white hot, put them in a hole, place the meat and vegetables on top, cover the whole thing with burlap and dirt and wait about 3 hours or so and PRESTO! you have a palatable treat. I was seated next to some very nice Aussies who were kind enough to share their wine with me. On the bus ride home, they announced where we were all from and we were supposed to sing a song. I didn't have a clue what to do, so I begged off. The Hawaiians sang a song, as did the Germans, English, Israeli, Irish and Swedish. A good time was had by all.
For more on Maori culture click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment