Journey with Christina

One of the highlights of the trip was our overnight stay in a Marae village. This was a unique overnight experience in which we learned about marae customs and protocol and participated in a typical hangi dinner. We arrived to the village in the afternoon for tea and spent the next hour learning a song in the Marae language which we would then have to perform at that evenings program. After we were shown to our rooms which was a long room with single beds. Over each bed was a different carving of a Maori who was important in the history of their culture.

Afternoon tea, the song we learned and our accommodations.

The highlight was the theatrical evening performance. Each group that arrived (we were the only group staying the evening) elected a chief who would represent us in the traditional manner of two villages. The Marae arrived by boat and performed a traditional greeting where we were not allowed to talk, laugh or even smile. After we entered the village and participated in typical games and learned more about their culture. This was followed by a performance and then the hangi.

Jon and I in front of the entrance to the village and the villagers arriving.

Jon and I participating in some of the activities. Not sure why that one guy has his shirt off other than to show off his freshly waxed chest and six pack.

Where the hangi was cooked and the hangi meal.

We were lucky enough to be staying the night so after dinner when all of the guests were leaving we switching into our bathing suits and sank into the 3 hot tubs sipping wine under the open sky.

The hot tubs.

We also had just enough time to visit the little lakeside sulfurous town of Rotorua and do a walk through a Redwood forest. The redwoods are from California and grow three times faster then they do in their native soil. The scenery and the smell took our breaths away.

Sulfur pool in Rotorua and redwood forest.

The overnight Marae experience (night 3) was held at Tamaki Maori Village and cost approximately $200 each. A bit of a splurge but truly unique.