We gathered in the booking hall, where drinks were on sale whilst we waited for our allocated coach. Our driver was Dave, who was very amusing. He started by greeting us all by saying hello, welcome to the tour, etc. in 52 languages. He then proceeded to tell jokes and have fun the whole 30-minute journey. He also went through the choosing of a chief to represent us on arrival at the village for the "challenge." The men appear, and one "warrior" goes through intimidating gestures and movements with a spear (taiaha) until the peace offering (teka) is accepted by the visiting chief. This is Maori culture and very serious. There has to be no laughing, mocking, or making faces in return.
There were four coaches, and each had elected a chief, but only one of these was selected to accept the gift (which was a bone) from the village. After the welcome ceremony, we proceeded to walk through the village, where Maoris were in traditional dress showing how they used to live, work, and play. There was poi twirling (two balls on string), hand games, weaponry, and the reciting of chants as in days gone by.
We then entered the Wharenui (the Big House). The rules are that women must not be seated in the front row in case fighting between home people and visitors occur and the men have to protect. Welcome speeches are made, and then there is the hongi (pressing of noses) that seals the bond of friendship. Then there was a show of Maori songs and dances that tell the story of Te Maori.
Next we moved to another building where tables had been set out for our dinner. The food had been cooked in the traditional Maori way in a hangi, which is an earth oven. Rocks are heated to a white-hot state with native timber and are then put into a pit that has been dug in the earth. The meat in baskets is put on the rocks, the vegetables in baskets on top of the meat, and then the pudding. The whole lot is covered by wet cloths, Hessian, and earth, which keeps the heat inside. The cooking takes between 3 to 4 hours. There was a whole selection of meat and vegetables on the buffet table all cooked and served to a high standard. Each table went to the buffet table in sequence to save crowding. The only problem was the difficulty in obtaining a drink, as there was only one person serving at the bar.
After the meal, we had time to wander around the village and the few shops with souvenirs before it was time for the closing ceremony. Then it was back on the coach for the return journey, where our driver entertained us again by getting us to sing songs from our own country, with everyone joining in.
Cameras and videos were allowed throughout the whole evening. Visit www.maoriculture.co.nz.