Waipoua Forest

So two weekends ago, we took a break from Auckland to go north to the Waipoua forest.  We stayed two nights with Fred, our professor's, good friends Manos and Alex Nathan.  They are both artists, ceramic carver and metal jewelry maker, and they are both part of a Maori tribe.  The Maori people are the indigenous people of New Zealand, similar to the Native Americans, and they have shared similar consequences that come from being colonized peoples, a big one for Manos and Alex has been the loss of their tribe's land to the crown, which they have been fighting for 20 years and have finally gotten back, although only 7%. 

Learning about Maori culture, art, and their history has been an important part of our trip as we have read many books, articles, been to museums, and everything - so this trip was amazing to learn about their culture personally and to meet new people and learn about New Zealand more!

We got a walkthrough of parts of the Waipoua forest - a beautiful, amazing green area the this Maori tribe, including a man Stephen who is an amazing naturalist in New Zealand - showed us.  This is a hugging tree! 

  This is a Kauri tree. The Kauri trees are very important to the Maori people, but forest upon forest of them got cut down with the European settlers who wanted to use them for masts.  Stephen, Alex, and the other people we met have worked hard to start regrowth forests, and they have been doing amazing jobs so far. These Kauri trees are akin to the Redwoods or the giant sequoias in the importance, and even in their size.  They are beautiful!

We stayed at the tribe's marae deep in the forest.  The marae can be described as a meeting house, where everything from births, weddings, funerals, and important tribe meetings take place here.  We were very lucky to to be invited here and able to stay here and it was an amazing experience.  When we first got here, we took our shoes off to enter the marae, and then the family was lined up on the left wall while we sat down on the right side, for the welcoming ceremony.  They spoke their piece in Maori, then we sang our Maori song we learned, then we walked through the lines to do a hongi - where you touch foreheads with everyone, share the breath of life, and after that you are welcomed in and are no longer a stranger.  And it really felt like this. 

This place is amazing.  Children and grandchildren of Manos and Nathan came back to the marae for this weekend while we were there - even if they live farther away, like in Wellington (a plane flight away, or really long drive).  It really felt like we were at home here.  It was so easy, the transition, it was incredible.  We went swimming in the river, played games with all the kids and learned traditional Maori games.  Alex and Manos shared with us about their culture, the land rights fights they have been through, the stories about their ancestors, and how important the ancestors are to them.  The marae is thought of as the womb of their ancestors, so it really is amazing that we slept in the marae.  Something amazing they said, is that when the welcomed us in Maori at the opening ceremony, they not only welcomed us but all our ancestors and family that were coming with us - because they believe that we are never alone.  We are always with our family and our ancestors wherever we go - and I love that thought - especially being so far from home.

We went on walks, enjoyed the beautiful nature that they work so hard to live close to and to preserve.  We walked to a lookout point to watch the sunrise.

And we went to the beach on their land, and it was the most beautiful place with crashing waves, white sand that had the texture of snow, magical cliffs in the distance, and bluegreen shining silver abaloni shells sprawled on the beach.

We learned about their way of life, and the joy they have of being at the marae with family and having this as a meeting place, for their tribe hasn't always been like this.  At the end of our stay, a few hours before we left, we all were in the marae and we had a ceremony type thing where everyone goes around, stands up, and says whatever they like - thank you for having us, why it has been so amazing, what they have learnt about themselves, the group, and the larger world; sang a song; shared personal things.  In just this one weekend, I felt the group get so much closer - and everyone just let go and had fun and was so happy and joiyful -- I haven't smiled or laughed that much for a while, and I think that's saying a lot for me.

This weekend was really amazing - I learned so much, but at the same time, the learning came in such a relaxed and happy environment it just felt so natural.  It truly was a one of a kind experience I hope I never forget.