Orientation

Orientation day was more an introduction to Maori culture than an orientation to the hospital. All the new staff members of the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board gathered for the pohiri (welcome) at the gate to the Marae (meeting house) for the formal welcome ceremony. Women were lined up in the front of the group and men towards the back. It started with the Karanga or ceremonial call of welcome by the Tangata Whenua (Host from the Maori health unit). Then we, the Manuhiri (guests) quietly proceeded forward to the entrance where we removed our shoes before entering the building. I was told the purpose the Karanga is to weave a spiritual rope allowing safe passage for the guests to precede into the Marae. I was also informed the reason men walk behind the women is to act as guardians and protect them from being attacked. Although, the one scrawny looking Englishmen in the group didn’t look like he could do much if any marauding Maori tribes decided to show up.
There were two speakers, one for the hosts and one appointed for the guests. Once everyone had entered the Marae, the staff from the Maori health unit stood and sang a waiata (chant), and then we had to stand and sing in response. We all stood at the appropriate time and sang the Maori version of the national anthem. We also had to stand and introduce ourselves. The Maori say their mountain and river, depending on which tribe they come from, as well as their name. I was a little disappointed that all I could say was I was from the land of California; no specific mountain or river. And that was my first introduction to Maori culture. Not the traditional orientation day that I was expecting.

New Favorite Snack

Kiwifruit+Tamirillo+Yogurt=My new favorite snack

Commute

I don’t want to make anyone jealous, these are pictures showing my commute to work, which is much more enjoyable now. Instead of fighting my way through the Orange County traffic, I now drive through vineyards and sheep pastures on a two lane road. I haven’t experienced any road rage yet! The down side is not having the traffic to blame when I’m running just a wee bit late.

Rose and Shamrock

Every first Tuesday of the month, the Rose and Shamrock pub in Havelock North hosts Quiz Night. I was invited to attend this event by some work colleagues. When I got there for dinner the place was packed. I guess it’s the happening event around here. We ended up having a large team as more and more people kept arriving. Most of the questions were general information questions. I did contribute two of the answers- the number of players on a hockey team (I presumed they don’t really watch hockey here, as everyone at the table looked expectantly at the American for this one; lucky guess on my part), and the capitol of Iceland. All the evenings watching Jeopardy with Ravi and Priya finally paid off. (Sorry I made fun of you, Priya!) Our team, Legs Eleven (have no idea where the name came from) was beat by Alphabet Soup by one point. Second place out of 25 is not too bad!

The Great Disappointment

According to Lonely Planet, Taupo is the world capital of skydiving. This sounded like a good place to go, considering Lisa, Lori and I have been trying to plan a skydiving expedition for the past three years. One year Lisa did not have health insurance and for some reason she didn't want to go at that time. The next year, Lori had back problems, so that was not a good time to go. The year before that we were poor, so that stopped us as well. Now was our time! We were ecstatic that we were finally going skydiving, and in New Zealand of all places! However, there was one flaw to our plan-the weather. We were told there had to be no wind or rain in order for the pilot to fly. We hoped against hope that the big raincloud would disappear. But despite Lisa’s fervent prayers, we got to the airport only to find out they would not be flying that day. We were a very despondent group after that. But we went on with our lives and did some site seeing around Taupo. We saw Haka Falls, which is part of Waikato River, the longest one in New Zealand. Haka Falls is called “Hakanui” by the Maori, or “Great Body of Spray.”

Pilgrims Progress-

It was still drizzling by the time we got to the Craters of the Moon. This is another geothermal area with plenty of warning signs to stay on the designated path. At first this place reminded me of Jurassic Park, and I expected a T-Rex to come charging out of the foliage. But as we walked further on the wooden- made path, I started thinking about Pilgrim’s Progress. Names like the Pit of Despair and the Bridge of Despondency came to mind while we walked the narrow pathway. Not all of Taupo ended up being a disappointment. I guess we will have to go back there for our skydiving thrills.

Tamaki Maori Village

After our relaxing spa afternoon, we returned to our hotel in time for our pickup to the Tamaki Maori Village. We were the first of 25 passengers to be picked up. Our bus driver managed to be entertaining and hilarious as he explained about Maori culture and what to expect upon our arrival to the village. He appointed a chief, one of our fellow passengers, whose job was to lead us forward when the Maori warriors welcomed us to their village. Two warriors came out brandishing spears and wearing the traditional moko (tattoos) on their faces. After several minutes of menacing poses they dropped a branch in front of the chiefs indicating we were welcome to enter. We got to see replicas of the traditional Maori houses, marae (meeting house) and watch the traditional dances before sitting down to the hangi. This refers to the way they cook their food, which is in the ground over hot river stones. Vegetables are thrown in with fish and meat and steamed together.
Our bus driver was able to memorize everyone’s name and nationality by the end of the night. The bus ride back to our hotels consisted of him making every nationality group sing a song from their country. We had already decided to sing “We’re Bringing Sexy Back! ” but he chose the song for us. He timed it so we were singing, “She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain When She Comes” as he was circling the round-a-bout 5 times! Whenever he imitated the American accent it was always in a Texas drawl. As each person exited the bus, we performed the tradional hongi, which is 'sharing of life breath' by a pressing of the noses while saying "Kia Ora," meaning, "Hello," "Good luck," or "Good health."

Rotorua Weekend

One week of work down! I’m now ready for the weekend! Two hours inland from the Napier/Hastings area is Rotorua-the most touristed spot on the North Island. The first thing I noticed when stepping out of the car upon our arrival is the sulfurous (rotten egg) smell. This is due to the numerous geysers, hot springs and mud pools in the area. Our first attraction Saturday morning was The Zorb. Even though it was a rainy day, our enthusiasm for this event did not waver. Zorbing involves climbing into a big bubble and rolling down the hill. You can choose to be strapped into the bubble and roll down the course, or you can choose the water bubble and slosh your way down the course. I decided to go with the water bubble down the zig zag course. It’s only 180 meters long, but as I was tumbling around in the water it seemed a lot longer. At the end, as I was still trying to regain my balance, I was asked to smile for the cameraman, before sliding out of the bubble. There have only been a handful of people, besides the staff, who have been able to stay on their feet the entire ride down. I think I managed to stay up for 1 ½ seconds before I went down. I may need a little more practice! The whole zorbing experience reminded me of one of Jackie Chan's movies where he escapes from the bad guys using a big bubble to run down the mountain. I bet they got that idea from the Zorb.

Later that day, Parag was dropped off at Te Puia to learn more about the Maori culture, as the girls headed to the Polynesian Spa. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying a view of Lake Taupo from the hot pools. We also met Gabriel, a fellow spa goer, who engaged us in conversation. He told us he usually avoids speaking to Americans because they are very suspicious of strangers. I guess we looked less suspicious than the average American, because he seemed to go on talking forever. It was difficult not be the stereotypical rude American and walk away as he was speaking.