STRAY Tour
Day 3
On the way to our 'Cultural Stop' at Makatu, we stopped off at some outdoor thermal springs which had been shaped into a larger swimming pool (very warm) a smaller shallow bathing pool (hot) and some even smaller Jacuzzi type baths (aaaaahhhhhh.) After a while of just bathing we decided to have some pool fun and make a human triangle in the big pool. After a load of attempts at finding the best ways to do this, we finally managed it...
(Thanks for the pics Karen)
Our 'Cultural Stop' for the night was at Uncle Boy's place in a town called Makatu. Uncle Boy opens his house to the Stray bus to let everyone get an insight into Maori history and culture. We started off with Uncle Boy taking us around Makatu, describing how his tribe first landed on this land around 800AD. Most Maori people can trace their family lines back 1200 years (beat that Malc) to that point as their tribal culture was so strong. They came across the Pacific on long boats from Hawaii and found some lush green and fertile land under a long white cloud and called it Aotearoa - The Land of the Long White Cloud.
Uncle Boy took us to a Marae, a meeting place with the same respect as a church, but without any religious use. It started raining just after we got there. The Marae is more of a social hall where Maori warriors would kill anyone who wasn't invited and embrace anyone who was. Which is probably why Maoris make good bouncers.
After performing the traditional Maori, nose-touch greeting with Uncle boy called a 'Hongi,' we went into his house, (which he gives over to us backpackers for the night) for a 'Hangi.' A hangi is a traditional Maori meal of Chicken, Lamb, sweet potatoes and salad. In traditional Maori households, everyone used to eat, sleep and live together in one room. So we did too.
After dinner, a local Maori school (they only learn in Maori) came to the house and performed various Maori songs, Poi dances (for the girls) and Haka (for the boys.) After watching them do this for a while, they told us it was our turn. We were told to 'strip to your pants' (thankfully the International meaning not English 'pants') and head out to the outdoor garage to practice.
It was pretty cold out there to begin with, but the Maori bloke teaching us said, "I really want to see you going for this! The Haka is about scaring off an opponent and avoiding a war. So I want to see you look as powerful and frightening as possible." Then followed that with "and if I see you out there not giving it your all. I'm going to slap you on the back to let you know. And trust me you'll know when I've slapped you on the back. OK? Excellent, now the first move of the Haka is..."
After a few minutes of practicing scary face movements, slapping and stamping our legs and being told not to smile because we're meant to be scary, we couldn't feel the cold anymore. During one practice run I started copying one of the guys at the back who had a huge intricate face tattoo (in feltpen). The bloke to the right of him looked at the lead bloke, pointed at me and said "I think we've found our Haka leader."
Great. Me leading a scary war dance...
After about 15-20 minutes of practicing, we went back inside to watch the 4 groups of girls (this tour has been great, the girl/boy ratio has been an almost constant 4:1!) do their Poi (ball on a string) dance. The Poi dance looks quite pretty but has a practical use of strengthening wrist muscles. In the old days, when Maori were at war, warriors would fight their equals and try to knock them to the ground so they couldn't get up. At which point, the wife would come over with what looks like an armored, decorated table tennis bat, knock the floored warrior in the temple with her strengthened wrists, pop his head open, pull the brains out and give them to her husband to eat. When he ate the brains, the husband would then supposedly get the fallen warrior's 'mana' (prestige, strength, respect etc).
Then it was our turn to do the Haka. I had to shout in a powerful scary way "ATIKA!" (hands to the side, shimmering fingers move, glare at everyone) "KHUMAO!" (Stamp and hold thighs) "RINGA PAKIA" (leg stamping, both leg slapping rhythm starter) before the rest of the Maori blokes began the Haka war song and I had to stand at the front leading us!
Ka Mate! Ka Mate!
Ka Ora! Ka Ora!
(English Translation)
It is death! It is death
It is life! It is life!
Tenei te ta ngata puhuru huru
Nana nei i tiki mai
Whakawhiti te ra
This is the hairy person
Who caused the sun to shine
A upane ka upane!
A upane kaupane whiti te ra!
Hi!!
Keep abreast! Keep abreast
The rank! Hold fast!
Into the sun that shines!
We chatted and posed for pictures with all the Maori guys and girls afterwards.
This'd be a superb shot if it didn't look like I had a penis growing out of my head.
If you asked me to do it again now, I'd probably remember the moves, but I never knew all the words and I don't reckon I could sum up the passion again (unless I was surrounded by everyone else doing the same thing.) We all got really psyched up and did it as best we possibly could. Whether or not we'd scare off an invading army I don't know, but next time i'm in a kebab shop in Romford at 2am and its all kicking off....
Later that night, after many drinking games, card tricks and general revelry, we tried to recreate a dry land version of our people pyramid!!!
(Cheers to Sarah for the Pyramid Pics)
Day 4
In the bathroom that morning, we all compared the bruises we'd sustained slapping our legs during the Haka! Then we posed for a group photo.
Later, we visited the thermal springs and geysers of Rotorua. Theres a lot of geothermal activity on New Zealand's north island and Rotorua is the hub of it. Situated on top a giant underground volcano (which is currently 500 years overdue for a major eruption) the area has numerous pools of boiling water, bubbling mud, constantly erupting geysers and a permanent smell eggy farts. Why is it, that wherever I go around the world I can link most places to Romford? (Oh I heard some exciting Romford news the other day (cheers Ailsa) Vivid and Elite is gonna go back to being called Hollywoods!!)
As for Rotorua, I'm not sure what it was about the place but I felt quite under whelmed. I was on an active volcano, I ate corn on the cob cooked in a natural hot pool, I saw a professional Haka and Poi dance put on my the locals (a whole town is built on top of Rotorua, leading to names like Rota-Vegas and Rota-ruined) but it just didn't have that 'x' factor. It was still raining, the geysers were erupting constantly rather than in one powerful jet and even then we still had to stand about a hundred meters away. I feel like I should have liked it more than I actually did.
A while outside Rotorua, we had a chance to do various activities (though the Skydiving and White Water Rafting had been cancelled due to too much rain) Sinead and I decided to try Zorbing. I don't know why I tried it. I guess it was as much out of curiosity as anything. Why would anyone want to get inside a big plastic ball, suspended in a giant plastic ball, then try and run down a hill? You can either get strapped to the side (which sounded pretty vomitous) or do a 'washing machine', where up to 3 people get in there, the bloke chucks a load of water (and I'm sure some fairy liquid) in and again, you have to try and run down a massive hill.
I've never laughed so hard for no apparent reason. At the top of the hill, we got into the giant ball, cold, from wearing rented shorts and T-shirts, the bloke chucked loads of warm water at us, zipped up the gap, then said 'Try and run down the hill.' We lasted about 2 seconds. As we both leant forward trying to walk up the wall, Sinead slipped and took my legs out, which luckily gave us enough movement to start us rolling. At which point, there was no chance of standing up! The ball picked up speed, picking up water and sending it up and around to the top of the ball, as we slipped and spun around on our backs trying and failing to control anything we did.
I don't know why it was funny. Maybe because its completely insane. Maybe because its a good feeling to let go and have no control. What ever it was, if I ever see zorbing anywhere ever again I'm going to go straight over and do it. And I highly recommend you do the same!
That afternoon, we picked up 'The Jeffs.' The story goes that Jeff (Simon) once couldn't remember someones name (not unusual as a backpacker, you just chat with everyone and anyone everyday) so he called him 'Jeff'. When he realised this wasn't the first time he couldn't remember someones name, he called the next bloke Jeff as well. Jeff then called Simon, Jeff. Then from then on, the Jeff clan grew. Whoever travelled with Jeff, became a Jeff. It was really freaky when Jeff would say to Jeff, "Wheres Jeff gone?" and the response would be "Oh he went to get Jeff from the souvenir shop." Once you become a Jeff, it seems you know which Jeff is which.
Anyway, we went to Taupo that night. A town built on the huge inland lake (Lake Taupo) in the middle of the North Island. The rain stopped for a couple of hours, but only a couple. We went out to an Irish Pub then onto a quirky little club called 'Holy Cow' which had a fantastic atmosphere. I saw the best toilet sign I've ever seen. To the right, there was a big cartoon picture of a cartoon cow with huge bollocks saying "No Bulls" . To the left it had another cartoon cow saying "In here mate." Genius. Also, if we had a 'Stray' ink stamp put on our forehead, we got cheaper drink. At one point, a bunch of us started doing the Haka to random dance music. I think we may have been standing on tables at the time too.
