and prepared us for the traditional Maori welcome ceremony. One of the members of our group was to be chosen to act as our chief and accept a leaf from a Maori warrior. The man that volunteered was from India and had his family with him. The welcoming ceremony consisted of five Maori men and four Maori women singing to us in their native tongue and dancing.A warrior came forward and presented our “chief” with a leaf. The warrior proceeded to dance and grunt as he approached us. When our chief accepted the leaf, the warrior retreated to the Rotowhio Marae and we were welcomed by the people into their sacred meeting house (Marae). After the Maori shared with us some of their customs, games, and dances we were given a tour of the carving and weaving schools, Whakarewarewa geothermal valley and Pohutu Gyser, Kiwi House, and Pikirangi Maori village.
Visiting the Kiwi House (Nga Manu Ahurei) was especially exciting (although short) because it was the first time I was able to see a live kiwi bird. The kiwi is New Zealand’s national bird and has always been held in high esteem by the Maori people. Kiwi feather cloaks are seen as a sign of chieftainship. It was also interesting to hear that the kiwi bird came before the kiwi fruit, which was originally known as the Chinese Gooseberry, and it’s thought that the fruit was given the same name because its shape is very similar to that of the kiwi bird. The kiwi bird is an indigenous, flightless bird of New Zealand and is rarely seen by New Zealanders because it is semi-nocturnal and secretive. Interestingly enough, although the kiwi bird is undoubtedly awkward looking and its two-inch wings are useless, the bird can actually outrun a human! They have an excellent sense of smell (their nostrils are located toward the end of their bill) and mostly feed on worms, insects, and grubs. The fall in population of the kiwi birds did not start until the Maori people arrived on the islands, but the primary cause of their dwindling is bush clearing, introduced predators, opossum traps and motor vehicles.
The 210 ºC Ngamokaiakoko Mud Pool and Pohutu Geyser were amazing for me to see. Since we were staying in Rotorua, I was already familiar with the sulfur smell and steamy pools because the area has so much geothermal activity, but it is still so amazing that people are living in such a reactive area. The other organisms that inhabit the area are also interesting because they do not vary too much from that of the typical New Zealand nature preserve. There were plenty of tree ferns and lichens to go around. I was especially intrigued by the coloring of the water in the area. While the actual mud pools are generally a greyish colour because of the mixing of sulphur (black) and Kaolin clay (white), a lot of the water pools are a milky aqua color. As of now I am unsure as to what causes the coloring, a discussion with Brian Corner and Bill Capman lead me to believe that it has to do with the presence of micro-organisms and possibly the water’s pH. I still have to do more research on this. The mud pools are nearly boiling hot (90-95 ºC) and the bubbling is a result of acid gases and steam that cause the decomposition of minerals to form the Kaolin clay.
More later…
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