Now I see, I'm never gonna stop this train..

When I signed up for Ecoquest I have to admit that I was somewhat relieved that I would be living in an english speaking country so there wouldn't be a language barrier to fight and I'd already be equipped with all I had to know. As it turns out, I am slowly learning a second language here: Maori (and a 3rd, the crazy Kiwi dialect if you count that). We have spent the past few days concentrating on the history of New Zealand, specifically the Maori people, as the white-people (for lack of a better term) is very short. We learned the Maori alphabet (which was adapted into the roman alphabet) and pronunciations as well as key root words that we'll often find in names of places. We've learned a few songs as well, one of which we performed for the Maori at the local Marae as part of a welcoming ritual into the community.

We spent the morning doing last minute preparations, and around 2:00 we walked down the road to the local Marae (Kaiaua). For those of you that don't know, a marae can be compared to a church or a mosque in christianity or islam, with some key differences. It is usually fenced and gated with lots of wide open area of grass inside. The one we went to had a main building (Wharenui, the meeting house) and a building for eating (Wharekai). The main walkway leading up to the Wharenui is used to greet the Powhiri (the outsiders or intruders, us) as we walk through slowly with women in front to show that we are not a threat. A woman from our local iwi (tribe) called out to us in Maori and Ria (one of the founders and teachers of Ecoquest) called back a greeting. It was very pretty and is sung in a kind of sorrowful tone. They led us into the Wharenui because it was raining, but normally this next part is done outside. We sat opposite of the Maori and their leader stood up and made a speech (this is all in Maori language by the way), welcoming us, followed by a song sung by the group. Next, Jono (Ria's husband) made a speech explaining where we came from and what we were here to do and asked for acceptance and their blessing. After giving us a cue, we all rose from our seats and sang our song to the Maori. I will admit, I got the chills hearing us all singing in unison and harmonizing so well. Just two days before we thought it would be impossible to learn a song in a language we had never heard before, and here we were. Our voices boomed off the walls of the Wharenui and filled the room.

After that we all sat down and the iwi leader made another speech (in english this time) welcoming us to their marae and blessing us for the work and research we're doing and for making effort to preserve the beauty of their land. Hearing those words from him really meant a lot and made me realize just how important all of this is. It was very humbling to know that they appreciate us being here as much as we appreciate having the opportunity to visit this stunning country. After he finished his speech, we formed a line and greeted each individual with the Hongi, which involves shaking hands and saying "Teno koe" and pressing your forehead and nose to the other person. This was my favorite part and it made me feel really at home and it honestly warmed my heart. I felt like these people were genuinely grateful for us to be there and accepted us as an extension of their family. The last woman in line was an elderly woman that was very small and reminded me of my Babcia (grandmother) in Poland, she even smelt a bit like her too. I had to bend down to give her Hongi because she was so small.

After the cermony was over they invited us to the Wharekai for "tea time" (the British influences are somewhat comical at times) which was an intricate spread of all kinds of sandwiches and pastries, with tea, coffee, and "drinking cocoa." Everything was delicious and we all felt obliged to stuff ourselves even though we literally just ate lunch before walking there. Afterwards they gave us a brief tour of the grounds which included a look at their war canoe, which was really cool, although it is not an original. They gave us explanations for all of the carvings, many of which was incredibly complex and tell stories of their ancestories and their gods. It was really cool. Also one of the Maori there was visiting from a different iwi on the east coast of the North Island, and we will be making a stop to his Marae after week 6 or 7 of our program, after the South Island component. It will actually be the first time this program has gone to that Marae (including Jono and Ria) and we will be staying over night. There is also a Marae in the South Island in which we will reside for two nights. Now I'm really excited! Their culture is fascinating and I love all the rituals.

This afternoon I went on a 40 minute run with some girls, as I was starting to feel a little better and not quite as sick as I was this morning and the day before. Even though it was raining (and has been raining for days) it was still great. I feel like these runs are when I get to know them best (thank god for run-talkers haha). We had a late dinner tonight because of our tea time at the Marae and we spent a good two hours afterwards planning out of trips this weekend. Half of the group is hiking the Pinnacle and our half (the better half ;)) is going to Auckland! So far the plan is to get dropped off at the train station, take the train to Auckland, visit the Polynesian market, stash our stuff in the hostel (right downtown, next to the Uni!), scope out the harbor a little bit, go watch the Wellington vs. Auckland Rugby game at 6 and then celebrate our arrival in New Zealand properly at night. Sunday we're planning on doing the Coast to Coast walk (look it up), which goes through the best parks and even some VOLCANOS (yeah, I feel like Aucklanders are just asking for it..). That'll probably keep us busy for a few hours, and somewhere between the west coast and dinner time we are going to have to find our way back to the train station. I think it'll all work out :) Do I even have to mention how excited I am? (proof below!)