Maori village in Rotorua

We didn't have to get up until 8 that morning which was such a luxury! They also sold proper coffee in the hostel, so

I grabbed a flat white and we all piled onto the bus.

We had another short walk this morning into the bush and then we set off to Hobbiton for the Lord of the Rings/ Hobbit set tour. I didn't actually go on it that day because I'm heading back up to Rotorua on my way back to Auckland so I'm saving the best until last! It was still cool seeing the entrance and I got to meet Gandalf... and naturally freaked out. I'm such a Lord of the Rings geek it's pretty sad! 

The majority of our group had signed up to stay in a Maori village overnight which was pretty exciting. Before that we had a couple of hours to chill in Rotorua. A bunch of us just chilled by the lake with an ice cream as the views were pretty amazing. 

The Maouri village stay was by far my favourite day so far. When we arrived we were greeted by the Maori chief and when we got inside we had an informal welcome which included a speech in Maori and a traditional song. Our group had appointed our own chief and after he said a few words of thanks, we all had to get up and perform a song together that we all knew. Embarassingly we chose head, shoulders, knees and toes! But I'm pretty sure the tribe enjoyed it. We were the led into the dining hall and served afternoon tea. This consisted of traditional fried bread (basically a plain doughnut) with golden syrup or jam, and then carrot cake and cookies. Such a treat after living off pasta for a good few days! We were then led into our sleeping quarters which were Maori huts, built in honour of their ancestors. The rooms were absolutely beautiful and sadly I completely forgot to take a picture, but it was basically a huge dorm room. The beds were unbelievably comfy and the room was filled with carvings and tribal patterns. The chief sister came and explained all the meanings of each thing in the room, and it was so fascinating to learn the ins and outs of their ancient culture. 

We were then put into groups to learn traditional Maori games and activities. The first game was a traditional male game which involved standoff in a circle, chanting and throwing huge wooden sticks at each other. Needless to say there were a fair few injuries but it was pretty hilarious. We then got to learn how to braid using a green reed-type plant and a shell. Afterwards we then rejoined and got taught a traditional song that the Maori teach their children to help them with the pronunciation of the language. We had about half an hour to freshen up before the Maori celebration Haki which is basically a roast dinner that they cook underground using volcanic rock. 

Before the Haki we were treated to a traditional Haka, which is the war dance of the Maori tribes. The Maori would bulge out their eyes and stick out their tongues in an attempt to scare off their enemies in war, which most of the time did not work. During the performance we were not allowed to smile or laugh out of respect and if you did you were picked on by the Warriors - which made it very hard to keep a straight face! It was incredible but sadly I didn't get very good pictures because of the crowds.

Afterwards we were led into a mock up Maori and learnt about different parts of their culture such as war training, weaving and facial tattoos! The Maori are so passionate about their culture and I felt so lucky to be able to experience a part of their heritage. 

We also got to watch a video about the history of the Maori and the struggles that they went through after the arrival of westerners. It was heartbreaking to watch but also so interesting and inspiring to see how they have kept their culture alive. One of the guys who works there also runs a rehabilitation centre for young Maori boys who have been in prison, because apparently this is common due to the culture clash in New Zeland. Then finally we were served the Haki! The food was incredible and as a backpacker it was such a treat to have a proper dinner rather than the standard pasta. After dinner our kiwi bus was made to stand up and perform the song we had learnt in front of the entire dinner hall, which was pretty funny but also quite embarassing! The majority of the people there left and only 31 people on our kiwi bus stayed overnight! They had hot tubs and a bar so we spent the entire evening chilling out in the hot tubs with wine, looking up at the stars! It was by far one of the best days I have had in New Zealand! 

Hannah

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