REGION SEVEN, North Island, North, 2005/2006

This is the only journal during the whole of our travelling that will not be a record of our weeks stay in a particular area. Since we arrived in New Zealand we have spent most of our time here and so it would be unfair to just write a normal update. Therefore we decided to put here an journal we wrote in February of this year when we were invited to the Waitangi Day celebrations at Waitangi.

Richard writes

These updates will be appearing when we stop travelling and take a much-deserved rest. Sometimes we may write them and sometimes we may leave it for our partner schools in Northland and Auckland. That is why you can also find one of these sections within our Auckland pages. However, before we start our journey, we wanted to write something about an event we experienced in Northland at the start of February, the weekend around February 6 to be precise. Many countries have a National Day of some sort when the whole nation celebrates an event important in the history of the country. Here in New Zealand that day is February 6 and it is known as Waitangi Day. Waitangi is a place in the north of the north island, close to where the first Maori settlers came ashore some thousand years ago and also where the Europeans first began to settle about 800 years later.

In fact February 6 is the day when the two parties made a treaty which set out the terms for New Zealand becoming a nation on its own. However there were many problems and misunderstandings, which you can read about in our “travels in time” section for New Zealand. Very simply there were two versions of the treaty, one in English and one in Maori, known as the Triti. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly when two different languages are being used, the two sides understood things differently. And, over the years, this day has seen disagreement and protest from the Maori who feel, with some justification, they were badly done by. So it was with just a little apprehension that we sent off for Waitangi. We were going to stay the whole weekend on the Marae, or Maori meeting place.just across the bridge from the actual treaty grounds.

We arrived on the Friday afternoon and were welcomed on to the Marae in traditional Maori fashion. This welcoming is called a Powhiri (pronounced Poferee) and happens when any new people or tribes enter another tribe’s land. The ceremony has great meaning and we will explain more about it in the traditions part of our pages on New Zealand. It is a very special feeling to be a part of this and in fact, for me, the whole time we were there was very special. We got to talk to many Maori and the whole place was a hive of fun and enjoyment. It was a real carnival atmosphere.

After the welcoming we were given some food and then discovered that our invite meant we would be fed, three times a day, for all the time we were there. Now that’s what I call hospitality. The food was simple, well you try cooking for about 800 people three times a day, but good and we really enjoyed it all. What we discovered was that there were really two distinct events going on. One was the Maori carnival, for want of a better word, that happened on the Marae grounds and involved stalls and music and went on over all three days. The second event was the more formal ceremonies going on at the actual Treaty ground and culminating in the events of Monday. I’ll leave that for a moment to tell you more about the Marae times.

Let me tell you this; Maori love to talk, they love to laugh and most of the ones we meet were extremely knowledgeable on many subjects, not least being the treaty of course. I think I have noticed this in our time here. Not only do they have, and maintain, a very strong culture of their own but also they have managed to absorb and fit in to the European culture that arrived some 200 years ago. In fact now there is a Maori party in Parliament and, so we were told, this was one reason why there were less protests this year. The old activists have grown up and got a voice within the establishment. Of course, there are still some who want a radical change but, in the majority, it seems to me that common sense has prevailed and I am absolutely certain that the Maors, as an indigenous people who were swamped with another culture, are a lesson to the rest of the world on how to live together, keep your culture and change the system from within. A Maori Prime Minister in New Zealand in my lifetime wouldn’t surprise me. This is not, by the way, an offer for those against this idea to shorten my life.

So we had this great fun atmosphere down at the Marae, combined with some serious meetings and discussions, but we also went up a few times to the Treaty grounds. The entertainment there was more formal, but still fun, and also smaller on the Saturday and Sunday. On Monday we got up early, for technical reasons too early but never mind that, and made our way from the Marae grounds up to the Treaty Marae for the dawn service which started about an hour before dawn at 5.30am. I didn’t ask. Here, within the Marae we mixed with politicians, senior Maori from several iwi, and ordinary people like us who just wanted to be a part of it. There were prayers, speeches and singing and then, as dawn had arrived, we all hung around outside the Marae. We were able to talk to several politicians, which was great and so informal. Interestingly the Prime Minister did not attend and I’m not really sure why but I think it was the right decision. This was a celebration not a chance to complain to or about the leader of the country.

Then later in the day the carnival feeling moved up to the treaty grounds and stalls and music could be seen and heard, well the stalls could be seen and the music heard obviously. We were told Helen Clark, the Prime Minister was there but we missed her or more importantly, she missed us. There was a march from the Marae to the grounds but no problems and, I believe no arrests all weekend. Quite a staggering fact when you consider that there were over 30,000 people there on the Monday. I was impressed with many things; the superb friendliness of the Maori, the brilliant organisation at both the Marae, done by ordinary people, and at the Treaty ground and the whole atmosphere and feeling of the weekend. My only complaint. Failing to be judged the winner of the Wet T-shirt competition that didn’t happen but should have done after a sudden rainstorm late on Monday. I think Helen Clarke won although she might have left by them. To everyone we met, a large thank you

Ev writes

We ate our lunch, packed a couple of things along with our tent, or to be precise Mike’s tent, and set off to Waitangi. I really love the north New Zealand landscape but my stomach does not always like the hilly, winding roads, which are a big challenge for Richard. Did he ever tell you he used to be a rally driver. So, while he is enjoying himself trying to get each corner just right for the next one, my stomach is usually showing its disapproval. We have this funny expression in Polish – to let the peacock out. This occurs when someone feels really bad and says good bye to all they ate before. It’s quite a graphic expression 

However, I knew that whatever left my stomach, and this time fortunately nothing did, I will soon feed it up again as we were invited to the Powhiri - an official welcome on the Waitangi Marae. An important part of the ritual is to feed the guests. We were invited to stay on the Marae throughout the long weekend. We were fed as I expected. What I didn't expect was that Connie who organized our staying on the Marae would give us the whole schedule for all the feeding on the Marae. We were provided with breakfast, lunches and dinners. Connie also took care of our accommodation. We were given a space on the Marae ground so we could put the tent up. As we were allowed to choose the place we took the one closest to the water which meant that for the next 3 days we were falling asleep to the sound of the waves and usually a Maori playing on the guitar. They all either play or sing or both. The first thing we saw in the morning after we opened the tent was the big blue of the ocean.

As predicted by Connie we were the only Europeans on the Powhiri except for another Richard, a guy who, though has a European origin, was brought up in a Maori community and who was a great help to us. To make us feel more at ease kuia ...., Maori elder met us in front of the gate where we were supposed to wait with the rest of the visitors for a call from the Marae. She turned out to be a lovely lady very strong, very knowledgeable and eager to share her knowledge. Call me Nana she said and then accompanied us and took care of us during a long welcoming ceremony, which involved a lot of speeches in the Maori language. Half way through she whispered to Richard and said, you have to go through this even if you don't understand it. You can sleep if you want but no snoring. All the Maori we met had a great sense of humour and were fun, in particular the older people who have a lot of confidence and have no problem saying what they think. They also like to tease and joke. I love it. We were feeling so special that we could come along already so early, that the people accepted us and that we could spend time with them and learn about them.

However, I knew that whatever left my stomach, and this time fortunately nothing did, I will soon feed it up again as we were invited to the Powhiri – an official welcome on the Waitangi Marae. An important part of the ritual is to feed the guests. We were invited to stay on the Marae throughout the long weekend. We were fed as I expected. What I didn’t expect was that Connie who organized our staying on the Marae would give us the whole schedule for all the feeding on the Marae. We were provided with breakfast, lunches and dinners. Connie also took care of our accommodation. We were given a space on the Marae ground so we could put the tent up. As we were allowed to choose the place we took the one closest to the water which meant that for the next 3 days we were falling asleep to the sound of the waves and usually a Maori playing on the guitar. They all either play or sing or both. The first thing we saw in the morning after we opened the tent was the big blue of the ocean.

This weekend was an occasion for us to meet and talk to many Maori people and see different attitudes to the indigenous issues. We met the elders, young people, politicians, Maori activists, craftsmen and healers and we even ate our dinner sitting next to the Maori Prime Minister. I said to her I feel honoured when she introduced herself to me and she said “and so you should”. She was a bit disappointed that we haven’t heard about her, especially if we were writers. Sadly other people haven’t heard about her either. There is this strong desire for some Maori to show their independence in the form of a Maori government. Again things are getting complicated here. According to their understanding of the Maori version of the Treaty this is what they were guaranteed nevertheless it’s very difficult to have two governments within one country. Unfortunately Maori are a minority in New Zealand and even if every single one of them would vote for the Maori Prime Minister in the general election they may not get enough voice to be elected. Having two governments without setting a new country never happened before. So however much I respect Maori people and they will of being guardians of their own destiny this looks like a lost battle. However within the official government of Ms Helen Clark there is a Minister for Maori Affairs and there is a strong Maori party too.

I know some Maori people would like to turn back the time, we met couple of extreme wishes for “colonial” government to leave the country but can you really get rid of all the people who came here before and after signing the treaty and who over the years and over the generations became New Zealanders. Maybe the treaty should have stipulated the number of settlers who could arrive in the country. Once the balance between them and Maori people was changed the western culture became the dominant one. Whoever we spoke to, whether they were very bitter over what have happened to their lands and their culture over the years and disappointed with the policy in the country or if they were accepting the situation and looking for the best position within it, negotiating the best deal for Maori people which would compensate to some degree the losses and allow their culture to survive – they all knew so much and they loved to discuss things, share their knowledge and their opinions with us. There are people who know well what they are aiming for and so, are also a tough opponent in any negotiations. They have arguments, which stand behind them

We met Connie, our Kuia and Richard every day. They all took a great care of us and we felt a part of it all. Even if they were not around we so often had someone asking if we are all right. We always met with a really friendly attitude. I even got an offer of adoption from a lady I met in the toilets. Yes I know this is an unusual place for the adoption but I wasn’t choosing it. I was asked how long I have been here I answered 10 moths. She said I am now a true Tangata Whenua – literally meaning people of the country; the indigenous people. I said I wish and does she know someone who’d like to adopt me to the Maori family and she said I adopt you. You come with me and stay in my house. I adopt you. This was even more unusual because she couldn’t be more then 10 or 15 years older then me. Luckily she didn’t offer to adopt Richard too as he was quite a bit older then her. But that’s Maori people for you.

Thanks to Lia, Brian and Rob from Waiheke Island for help and also Mike, Ellen and family for support.

This journal sponsored by Aquafi and Eurocampers