Beginnings...

Kia Ora and Hello all!

First, I must apologize for the lateness of this post. I realize that three weeks is a long time to go without an update. So despite the lag in time, I will begin at the beginning and go “step by step by step.”
My flight here was actually quite pleasant. They had a wide variety of entertainment on individual tv consoles and I was actually able to sleep on the plane (being aided by my very comfy travel blanket). After arrival, I was able to quickly gather up my bags and head through customs. Once through, I was met by the IFSA-Butler staff and the whole IFSA group was loaded on to a bus and taken to the Shakespear (yes, that is the spelling) National Park in Whangaraparaoa (wh is pronounced as an f in Maori).
At the park, we stayed in a dormitory-style lodge that was quite beautiful, and had a great view of the surrounding countryside. On the first day, even though we had arrived at 6am, the councilors did not let us rest. They took us on a long hike through the pouring rain and fields of cows, pigs, and (of course) sheep. The entire four-day orientation was exhausting but fun. The councilors alternated activities such as rugby, cricket, kayaking, park-wide scavenger hunts and mountain boarding with information sessions, quizzes on New Zealand, and group projects.
After three days at Whangaraparaoa we traveled southward, through Auckland, to a sacred Maori marae, or meeting grounds/temple. On the way we stopped at Mt. Cook, one of Auckland’s tallest inactive volcanoes (apparently there is a volcanic eruption in Auckland every 300 years… and the last one was 300 years ago… eee!). Staying at the marae was an amazing experience. To be accepted on to the marae you must go through a formal greeting process. You are called on to the marae (which specifically refers to the courtyard) by a specially designated woman. Your entire group must enter together and proceed slowly, with the women in front. Once seated outside the temple, two men from each group, the tangata whenua or hosts and the manuhiri or guests, give long speeches of welcome. This is followed by a hongi, the traditional Maori greeting where two people press together the nose and the forehead. Our dinner of meat and potatoes was prepared in the traditional Polynesian method of cooking it underground, which the Maori call a hauni. After dinner, a regional Maori dance group came to perform for us. They danced stick dances, weapon dances, the poi (performed by woman who swing and tap a white ball on a string), and the haka (the Maori war dance performed by men). They even had some the men from IFSA-Butler join in the haka! (though I must say that they were much less intimidating than the Maori dancers). That night we slept in the tupuna, or sacred temple. The red carvings on the outside of the temple represent the ancestors of that particular tribe, or iwi, of Maori.
The next morning we thanked our gracious hosts drove to a nearby beach to relax and cool off our feet, before finally heading into Auckland.

...to be continued...

Much love,

Alyse