My First Powhiri

My reason for returning to Hastings before heading south, apart from seeing Shani again and catching up, was to attend my first powhiri. A powhiri is a traditional ceremony that can be performed in many different contexts. In this one, I was invited by Shani to a powhiri celebrating the beginning of the university session at EIT (Eastern Institute of Technology). As I may have mentioned, Shani is studying Maori Policy in Te Reo Maori (in the Maori language). Much of the study she's told me about is learning more detail about her people's past traditions and concepts of government etc...

I was thrilled when Shani invited me to this ceremony. I had wanted to experience something authentic and not "touristy". There is something to say for the touristic experiences. They show you what the locals think are important in impressing the audience and in showing the most inspiring aspects of their culture, and it provides you with a rough base on what things used to be like. I was happy to have seen the ceremonial stuff in Rotorua, but I was even more excited to see the real stuff...what is being done today; how the Modern-day Maori embraces his or her history and puts forth the spirit in a world that has become so technologically oriented.

So here's my little journey. I now belong to a Marae. The name is Te Ara o Tawhaki (The Path of Tawhaki). The picture above shows my marae.

To explain how this is, you have to know that when you have never come onto a marae, there is a process that must be respected. Traditionally, though I believe that different Iwi (tribal groups) might have slightly different ways of proceeding, there will be one woman or a group of women on the marae grounds that will sing to you. In this case, they started the ceremony with the blowing of the conch and then the women sang. Basically what they are singing is a karanga, a welcome to the visitors onto their marae. As they sing, the visitors start walking through the threshold of the marae grounds.

From the visitors' perspective, one woman is chosen to represent us and responds in song, thanking the hosts for inviting us on the grounds. Women always enter the marae first because their song opens up the spiritual pathways. The men follow.

Then, in this case and because it is a school, the students did a haka for us.

Below: the woman welcoming us again after our representative thanked her, followed by a haka

Once inside the grounds, the men sit in front of the women. They are the protectors of the women (who are the bringers of life and the strongest link to the spiritual world) and they also do the speaking during the meeting or "hui".

After all the talks, the visitors approach the hosts and we hongi or kiss, it's up to the host to determine what will be done. I was really nervous because I didn't know what to do when, especially because I was to find out that everyone had their own system! I did a hongi with most of the men and kissed the cheek of most of the women.

The hongi (which is basically joining the foreheads and noses and the breathing in of each other's breath) can be done in many ways, I was to find out. Some people closed their eyes, some looked at me until our noses touched (making me cross-eyed), some wrinkled their noses as they approached me (with a smile, it was quite cute, actually). It was so varied, but it was always, the holding out of the right hand for clasping, the other hand holding the right arm as a kind of steadying and then the foreheads touching followed by the noses touching.

I must have hongied at least 20 people. It was really exciting, a bit scary (because I didn't want to screw up), but mostly quietly spiritual. It was beautiful.

People giving each other the hongi or kissing

After the hongi, we were invited into a hall for refreshments. In case you haven't noticed yet, kai(food) is a huge part of the Maori traditional lifestyle and that suits me just fine! All ceremonies are followed by the breaking of bread, so to speak. It's a way of bringing everyone together.

So as we walked into the hall, we were greeted by a song from all the students encouraging us to eat.

They stopped singing and with my plate of food I approached Shani to tell her about my experience and she smiled at me and they all started singing again! It was a really funny thing because I didn't expect it at all. Me and my little faux-pas!

Below: the singing encouraging us to break bread. There's Shani on the far left in the black t-hirt!

You may have noticed that they were saying "Haere Mai" which means welcome.

That's it! After that we ate and chatted and we left. It was a very cool experience. You would have had to be there to get the full effect, I was so afraid of offending that I didn't record or take pictures of nearly as much as I saw or experienced. (I'm gonna need to get over that shyness someday, especially when I've been given the green light to shoot all I want!)

See you next time!

Napier

I had been to Napier once before, when I went to the Gypsy fair a couple of months ago. I wanted to stay there a few days before traveling on to the northern part of the North Island. Napier's an interesting city because it was nothing really special until the 1931 earthquake that completely leveled the city.

After that tragedy, it was reborn and is today known as the Art Deco capital of New Zealand. So the buildings are quite attractive and slightly reminiscent of South Beach in Miami (though less pretentious). Don't have much to say about the city. I've been quite ill with a lung infection and so haven't gone on long walks or done anything too physically taxing. As a result, there were many things I would have wanted to do, but instead I deferred to the bed and rest and a walk around the block.

Attractive city though! Check it out.

Jogging path stretching from Napier to Clive, about a 10 minute drive.

Dentist's office. What a pretty office to work in and do awful things to scared people!
Pania, the local legend; below the story

Art Deco fountain
Shops on Emerson Street

This is where I stayed and had a glass of wine on the balcony while watching a beautiful sunset
Hotel
Marine Parade Street and Garden with outdoor theater
Architecture on Marine Parade

Cape Kidnappers

Cape Kidnappers is a place known for its colony of Gannets, birds with really beautiful eye make-up. Though the locals don't think anything of them, I find them quite beautiful, at least, the few pictures I've seen of them.

So, I decided that I wanted to see them for myself and headed off one day with Dean, a cool Maori dude who is studying massage therapy in order to help his people heal. We met at the end of a Maori festival and he gave me a foot massage.

We became friends and he took me out for a ride. I wanted to go to Cape Kidnappers, the location where a group of Maori's tried to kidnap Captain Cook's servant, so we drove out there one afternoon.

Below are some pictures of the walk along the shore to see the gannets.

Gotta love how resilient trees are


Around the tip of that piece of land, is way more land to walk before getting to the colony

Interesting look at how wood can be squeezed between rock and turn into a kind of charcoal
Erosion's work
Close-up of rock formations
Dean walking along the shore

Alas, we were not able to get to the gannets. We arrived as the tide was coming in and you can't walk along the shore, the tide goes up too high. So we had to leave without seeing those darned birds. I was pretty disappointed and hoped that I would get a chance to go back there before leaving Hawke's Bay.

About a week and a half later, Shani took me out there. We went several hours earlier, hoping that this would be the perfect day.

Shani taking a dip in the ocean

It's still so far away!

A guardian overlooking the bay

Love this picture! A lot of the "stone" is actually clay. As we walked along the shore, some of the rocks we stepped on were moist and the color was coming off. Clay! The most beautiful colors too...greens and blues...
The rippled effect

Striations in the rock
The only bird I did get to see, though it's not a gannet


Alas, the tide came up fast and strong and we were yet again forced to turn back. It seems that I was not meant to see the gannets. Two strikes and I had no more time. So we left. The walk was beautiful though, and the day bright and hot. That was something!

Below a little video of the bay. To clarify, from right to left: Mahia Peninsula, Wairoa, and Napier.

Shani Te Aho

I met Shani through a lucky break. I had met her friend, Karrine, at a nightclub in Hastings (the only nightclub!). After more than a month, I finally got in touch with her and met Shani in the process. I'm grateful for the encounter. Though we've only known each other for about 2 weeks, we connected right away and she was incredibly open and willing to impart her knowledge of her heritage, legends and cultural traditions. It made spending so much time in Hastings, completely worthwhile.

Shani

We talked about everything, melding two or more of our own cultures into everyday topics and discovering how differently we grew up and how differently we see the world. And yet, there was a strange understanding and acceptance in each of our different ways of viewing the world. No conflict, just continuous learning. I wish I could have recorded so many of our conversations about Maori history and culture because I learned so much, and I know that there is no way I will remember everything she's told me. I will cherish the conversations we had, though, and the generosity pouring out of her and her family.

On Christmas day, she came over with a huge plate of food her father had cooked, typical Maori kai(food), much like the hangi I had at the Maori village. It was delicious. In New Zealand, among the Maori, it is the men that traditionally do the cooking. About a week later, after returning from fishing, Shani's father gave me a fish for cooking. Here I was, once again, adopted by families who thought I needed to be fed. And I haven't even met them! I'm blessed and her presence in my life for the past few weeks has been a blessing.

Along with the food, Shani made me a puti puti, a flower made from flax. It symbolizes growth. It's amazing how quickly you can connect with someone in such a short period of time. She understands completely that this is my mission here in New Zealand and the puti puti is proof of that.

Puti Puti
Puti Puti close up

Other things she taught me... how to open a beer bottle with a lighter. That's the thing here. In Haiti, we used hard edges of surfaces, here, it's all a question of angles. Here's a video of her doing it.

I have so many stories to tell you, but I will do it all in time. Next time I'll explain the story of how New Zealand came about, again, a story told by Shani.

Last night we were having drinks in Napier and she told me that if I needed anything, I could call her. We're whanau now, we're family.

Around Town and Te Mata Peak

Below is the view of Hastings, Napier and the Pacific Ocean from Te Mata Peak.

The legend of this mountain goes as follows:

Two chiefs from different Iwis (tribes) betrothed their son and daughter as children. When they were old enough to get married, the father of the girl told her that the man, Mata, was a tyrant and a bad person and that he didn't want her marrying him anymore. So she set off to try to deter him from marrying her by asking him impossible feats.

First she asked him: "Shape-shift into a bug smaller than an ant."

And he did, before her eyes.

Next she asked him: "Get me the biggest piece of greenstone that you can find within an hour."

Now greenstone is not readily found in the North Island, so he ran to the South Island and came back to her within the allotted time with the biggest and most beautiful greenstone.

She was impressed, but asked him yet another request before she would agree to marry him.

She asked him: "Make me the finest coat of koutuku(a legendary bird that was considered sacred because it was known to never set foot on the ground) within one hour."

He did as she asked and presented her with the most sublime of coats made by the most beautiful feathers. By then she had fallen in love with him, however, remembering what her father had said, she told him to do one last thing. She told him to turn into a giant and so he did. And she asked him to eat a piece of the mountain as if it were cake. As he did so, she cast a sleeping spell on him and he fell asleep on the mountain where he remains today.

If you look closely, you can see the head to the right of center and then see the body laid out from right to left. (I didn't take this picture, this is off the net Photograph by Basil Keane)

(This legend was told to me by Shani, I thank her for her knowledge.)


Below, some images of things in and around Hastings.

Showed you the microwave mailbox previously, here's a refrigerator mailbox!


fridge mailbox


flower bush

close-up of flower

These flowers remind me of the mimi flowers in Haiti. There used to be a huge tree of red ones at the old campus of Union School. Used to love that tree...

My Apartment in Hastings

I stayed at Rotten Apple Backpackers for a total of three weeks. I was foaming at the mouth by then and needed my own place. And since I had a job and could afford to move out, I did.

I was lucky enough to find a furnished studio on the edge of town, close to the Farmer's market, which sold fresh produce every Sunday. I loved to go there and buy fresh ingredients and support the local farmers. My boss had a stand there also, so I got to say hello and would get the occasional free fruit (cherries, Mmm....)

I paid $190 per week, which is not cheap, but given the fact that I paid $130 per week at the backpackers, this was a gift! I had my own TV, bathroom and kitchen and little patio as well as a pool to share with the other residents in the complex.

Below is a little tour of where I spent the last 2 months. Sorry, kept putting it off until the day I moved out, so it looks a bit bare, but you'll get the gist of it. I was happy here. And at peace from the hustle and bustle of the backpackers.

A little glimpse of the pool and some fun little visitors.

I left Hastings on January 9th. I'm now in Napier, but will be leaving tomorrow. I'm done with the sedentary life and back on the road; my wallet a hell of a lot lighter, but my energy high and my mind ready for new adventure. I'll keep you updated!

Peach Thinning

So along with the picking, came the thinning. The concept of thinning is to reduce the number of fruit along a branch in order to get bigger and healthier fruit. Quality over quantity. It was fun, but I did notice a discernable irritation to the neck and crease of the arms. I think it was the fuzz from the peaches that irritated my skin. It went away as soon as I showered.

Below, a demonstration of how to thin.

Cherry Picking

About a month after asparagus had begun, I was lucky enough to get to do some cherry picking. It's really fun because you get to eat as you go and what can be better than that, right?

Below you will see how it's done.

The trickiest part is the use of the aluminum ladders. Once you're on top and have to lean over to grab the cherries that are just out of reach, you risk falling off. Though these ladders are quite stable and have spikes on the bottoms to properly grip the ground, if you put too much weight on one side, it starts to topple over. Thankfully I didn't fall, though my boss did. I saw her begin to scream and looked over only to watch her literally fall through the trees. Luckily she was okay. It was really scary and I made sure to get properly balanced each time I got up there.

The cherries were delicious!

Part 1: The Orchard

Part 2: How to pick cherries

Part 3: Using the basket

Yummy!

The Art of Asparagus Picking

So now, I finally get to the more recently happenings in my life. About a week after arriving in Hastings, I was approached by one of the girls are the Rotten Apple backpackers asking me if I wanted to work...picking asparagus.

I was stoked. I figured it would be a good physical workout, God knows I really needed it. I had quit Taekwondo in April and had done no physical activity since then, except maybe drink too much and smoke too much. I had gained 15 pounds and felt like crap.

So I was all for it. But nothing prepared me for the crazy workout it was to be. (For a little prose on this topic, go to my other blog "Table for One"). The first two weeks were so incredibly painful, but it was good pain, you know. The lactic acid pain that you know is killing you because you've been a lazy bastard for way too long. And we would start to work at 7.a.m. It could take us until 2p.m. or later to finish a field.( it was damn long...)

But after the two weeks, the initial pain went away and then was unfortunately replaced by irritated sciatic nerves in both my legs. It was excruciating, but I worked through it, not wanting to give into the fibromyalgia that has so "kindly" accompanied me for the past 8 years now.

Below is a demonstration of how asparagus goes from the field to the grocery store shelves. Enjoy!

Step 1: In the Field

The bucket you see attached to me is where we place the asparagus as we go along the rows. Asparagus, in addition to the recommended height, must have the head completely closed in order to be the freshest. If they are opening up and especially if they are starting to seed, they are too far gone. So when you're shopping in the store, make sure the heads are closed, they'll keep longer and taste better.

Step 2: In the packhouse: sorting and cutting

Step 3: Elasticating (probably not a word but I like the sound of it) and weighing

Step 4: Packaging

Step 5: You buy it from the supermarket or farmer's market and then you cook and eat!

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Gypsy Fair a la Kiwi

After leaving Taupo, I headed to Hastings (in Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of the North Island and supposedly the best weather in the country), the "fruitbowl" of New Zealand. This is supposedly the place in New Zealand where you can find the most orchard work. That's what I was after...working outdoors, working my muscles and enjoying some fresh air instead of some stuffy office. Freedom, you know?

So I arrived on an evening and decided to stay at the Rotten Apple, the only backpackers located directly downtown. They had a reputation for also helping people find work so I thought it was a good place to start. During the first week I just hung out with some really cool people and that weekend we went to a gypsy fair located in Havelock North, just a few minutes away from Hastings by car. I was curious to see what Kiwi gypsies were like. They were pretty cool, and best of all, they had really cool campervans!

They live and work out of these campervans

For the fun of it, I decided to do palm reading and tarot from Madame Feather. It was really interesting and she affirmed a lot of things about myself that I knew I did and what I needed to change in my life. You see, fortunetellers can come in so many shapes and sizes. I tend to shy away from people who are very cocky about themselves and tell you something and then that's it, no room for change. She was more like a counselor, and without me saying a thing, she said things that were very true about how I've lived my emotional life and how to approach it differently in order to avoid having the same things happen to me over and over again. And though, in the month since I had arrive in New Zealand, I knew this, it was good to get confirmation about this from a stranger, someone who had no reason to tell me otherwise.

Her office!

There were all sorts of little stands selling a variety of things and at one point this very odd couple got up and played some music. It was so great because it's totally the cliche of what gypsies would be like so I recorded it for your enjoyment. There were pretty good, actually!

Gypsy Music!

While at the fair, I found a man who was willing to pierce the piece of Jade that Kaianga had given me in Rotorua but he didn't have access to electricity in Havelock North and told me that I could come and see him in Napier the next weekend. Warren, a cool cat from South Africa, hadn't been able to come to the first fair and so accompanied me to the one in Napier. There I got my stone pierced and he bought tons of stuff for himself, a gypsy at heart.

The jade had to be pierced with a diamond bit because this stone is really hard.







Warren is from just outside Johannesburg, South Africa

As we walked along, we saw a really cool thing in progress. A man was basically sewing through wood to make different kinds of artsy things like keychains, or phonebook cases and other kitchy but cute things. I was more interested in the process than the result, so here he is!

We managed to get a ride to Napier, but didn't have a ride back to Hastings, so we decided to hitchhike back. I was kind of nervous because I've never done that kind of thing before, but felt a little better because I wasn't doing it alone and because it was still light out. So I asked a cafe for some cardboard and then wrote our destination on it.

We started walking along the main road that would take us back to Hastings. Warren was just carrying the sign down at his side and even before we tried to hitchhike, a nice older British couple stopped for us and took us right back to the hostel! They were really nice. They'd traveled all over Europe and had hitchhiked a lot of that way when they were younger and so wanted to return the favor. We had a nice conversation and then said our goodbyes and we were home!

A nice gypsy ending to a two-part gypsy day.