Three weeks in New Zealand - 4/12 - 5/4/2024
| North Island | South Island |
Day 4 -Maori Mitai Village-4/15/2024
From Waitomo caves we are driving to Maori Mitai Village located in Roturua. The drive is about 85 miles and will take us about 2 hours.
On our way we saw lots of green pastures with sheep grazing in peaceful meadows.
We also lots of cows grazing and resting along the way.
More cows grazing....
The cows have a good life here. New Zealand have so many green pastures for the cows to run around.
This is Highway State Highway 5 (SH 5). Really peaceful and so green.
A beautiful road lined with tall trees.
Again, more cows along the way.
Mitai Maori Village in Roturua sits over four acres called Rotohokahoka gifted
by the Ngati Whakaue people to develop.
As we entered the village we were led to astream on the property to see men in traditional outfil paddle down the stream in waka (canoe) .
The story is told through the dynamic scenes of warriors paddling the war canoe down Wai-o-Whiro stream when they arrived in New Zealand
People standing on both bank of the river to see the warriors paddle through the stream.
The warriors on the stream that runs through the property was absolutely magical to see them arriving, singing songs in te reo (Maori language).
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It is very spectacular to see warriors on the canoe.
The show was spectacular with powerful Maori songs.
We are now back in the main room that is supposed to represent a Maori village way back then when they arrived in New Zealand.
The Maori culture is still rich in New Zealand and the way the village was set up made me feel like I was stepping back in time.
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Excellent narration of their culture through songs and dances.
Lush nature setting, live demonstrations, and activities that are engaging and gave us a glance of the Maori culture.
Haka dance is a variety of ceremonial dances in Māori culture.
A performance art, haka are often performed by a
group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically
shouted accompaniment
The Haka dance served as a psychological warfare tool
to intimidate the enemy, showcasing the strength and prowess of the Maori
warriors before the battle commenced. The warriors would make fierce facial
expressions, bulging their eyes, sticking out their tongues, and perform
vigorous movements and rhythmic foot-stamping in unison, creating an
awe-inspiring spectacle.
Haka is a posture dance accompanied by chanted or shouted song. One of the main characteristics of haka are that actions involving all parts of the body are used to emphasize the words so it is very animated.
The tribe leader
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He is telling us the story of how the Maori came to New Zealand.
Māori stick games are also known as tī rākau, tītī tōrea, tītī touretua, tītī tourea and poi rākau. They were played by men and women, and helped with prefecting hand-eye coordination, taiaha skills, dexterity for using the poi, agility for kapa haka, and provided entertainment.
Mighty Maori war dance is very impressive.
The Haka is a medium through which Māori people can
maintain a deep and personal connection to their cultural heritage and the
spiritual world. By performing the Haka, Māori communities reinforce their
pride in their ancestry and heritage, and remind themselves of the strength
and resilience of their forebears.
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Next was a traditional Hangi food that was cooked using heated rocks buried in a pit oven called and umu.
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There was so much food.
This is a massive operation. There are at least over a few hundred people attending the show and the dinner.
We really enjoyed the show and we thought it was spectacular with stories, songs and amazing dances.
NEXT...Whakarewarewa Forest