New Zealand memory #1: From the Marae to Hamilton

Thus began the adventure tour. We had all been working for two weeks, pulling weeds and planting native species and we were ready to have some fun. Our North Island bus driver, Lou, picked us up from our overnight stay at Tutereianga Marae. We said goodbye to Daryl, Sandra, Ursula, and Kate (our project leaders) one by one on our way to Hamilton, where we picked up the newest, craziest member of our group, Hoover. (Hoover is not her real name. She is called Hoover because she can suck down a pint in three seconds flat without spilling.... so... Hoover like the vacuum.) We stopped at a transit station in Hamilton to pick her up and grab some lunch. We stayed only for a short while in Hamilton but it was a significant stop, as it is where I bought my first giant bag of pineapple lumps at the Warehouse (six dollars), and where Hannah and I bought matching neon blue plastic belts in the mall haha, they were only three dollars and we were both in need of beltage.

We tried to make woven flax belts (and bracelets) on the bus on the long drive from Tauranga/Bay of Plenty to Hamilton. The morning after we stayed the night in the Wharae Nui, we did project evaluations and waited for our new bus to get there. Groups of people went down to see a nearby waka near the water. After everyone had gone, Hannah and I decided we wanted to collect some flax to do some weaving, so we asked Sandra for directions and advice and went on our way. Besides getting lost, asking a Maori man for directions, and hopping fences, we stole the flax (with permission) from near the waka. Hannah claims she is ethnically ambiguous. She says she could be anything from Native American to Hispanic to Maori, apparently. We walked nonchalantly past a kiwi orchard (photo) carrying our freshly cut flax (no worries, we know the proper techniques and culturally accepted ways of cutting flax.) In the orchard was a middle aged woman (non-Maori) who looked at us strangely. Perhaps it was because we were on her land? Maybe it was the flax in our hands. Hannah slyly uttered "Kia Ora," in Maori; "hello." After we were out of earshot I laughed at her and said "Hannah, are you insulting these people by acting like one of them?" She said, "No, If they think I'm Maori, then there's no problem with me stealing this flax." Haha! We laughed our way back to the Marae and the bus was there waiting for us. These flaxen belts we made didn't work very well or last very long, however.

And so we were on our way, making friends with Hoover through pineapple lumps and riding on to Waitomo where we would stay our first night of the adventure tour and say "Haere Ra" (goodbye) to Kate in the morning.