Our last full day at Christchurch, and we both weren't sure on the validity of staying around the locality for another day. We'd come to Christchurch for the memories of Yo's childhood, and we'd done that. We'd also seen the scale of the Earthquakes, and the effect it had on the city five years on.
Sure, if we looked hard enough in the guide books I'm sure that there would have been plenty for us to do, but when we were planning the trip we'd written off a day in Christchurch just for getting over jetlag. The fact that whilst we felt a little drained come 4 or 5 pm wasn't stopping us getting out and about, so we felt we'd won an extra day, and wanted to make full use of it.
After hitting the Lonely Planet guide book, Yo came across a Maori culture tour up in Kaikoura. It was about 2.5 hours drive to the north, but had won various wards and was mentioned in more than one guide book for being an excellent chance to learn some of New Zealand's history and their native culture. The following day would see us heading south, so this was an ideal chance to explore the northern scenery before it was too late.
Much of the drive took us through the Canterbury basin, a massive flat plain full of farms and wineries. Whilst the view of farms is a familiar site throughout the world, the golden fields were a welcome change to the bright yellow of the British fields of Rape.
Eventually we started getting to a mountainous region, and Yo took over the drive for fear of being travel sick on the windy roads - we also stopped for a coffee at a small roadhouse in the middle of nowhere...
...and met another Israeli couple speaking Hebrew.
Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world.
The chances must be astronomical. It not like it was a cafe in downtown Christchurch or Queenstown - this was in the middle of nowhere. The kind of place where you step out and take a look around and there's nothing but a long straight road going in both directions to a vanishing point on either side.
No other settlements, buildings or outhouses. Just a cafe.
Though when you look at it, that might actually increase the chances. If there's no other cafe for miles around, then of course anyone on that road will stop. If you're in Christchurch where there's a cafe round every corner, the chances of running into another Israeli might actually drop, as there's more cafe's to choose from.
Still. I can't get away from the feeling that I'm being watched by Mossad.
Yo had a quick chat to them in Hebrew (though they didn't look impressed), and we headed off before they could radio in for back-up.
Kaikoura
We arrived around noon, to find Kaikoura to be a typical coastal tourist trap. Lots of shops selling tat at overinflated prices, signs for whale watching, surfing, fishing trips and other tourism related activities. It was also packed with people, and hot.
First thing we did was book the tour, and we were told to meet up at the Tourist Information centre at 13:30 - that gave us roughly an hour to kill, so we headed to the beach to eat the sandwiches we'd prepared earlier. The beach was a pebbled affair as opposed to sand, but I've come to the conclusion I actually prefer that type; sure, you can't build sandcastles, but the sand doesn't go in between your toes and cling to every part of your skin at the slightest sign of moisture. It's also comfortable to sit on - you wriggle your bum and create a nest in the pebbles that naturally conform to its shape. So that's what we did and we sat next to the ocean and ate lunch. The ocean itself looked to have a dangerous undercurrent and went deep very quickly, so we decided not to dip our feet - as an added sign there was no-one in the water. No-one, and it was hot.
After we ate, I sunbathed until it was time for us to leave (though really it was just me laying down with my hat over my face enjoying the sounds of the waves), and Yo busied herself tinkering about with pebbles and looking for interesting stuff. She's pure Kender, than one.
Maori Tour
Our Tour Guide, Maurice, picked us up at the appointed time, and along with another group of Americans we headed up into the hills in a small tourbus. The area was once home to the Ngai Thau, a Maori Tribe that was currently extremely wealthy and populous, and claimed all the land south of Kaikoura as its own.
He drove us to the remains of a Pa, which is Maori for fortified settlement. essentially it was just some earthworks nestled on the side of a cliff, but we were told it once housed up to a hundred people, and the land around it was once covered in Pa of different sizes.
As custom dictates, all the women of the group led us into the Pa whilst the Tour assistant, Ani, sang us a song of welcome. Afterwards, we were taught the hongi (the traditional method of greeting by touching nose to nose - once for friends and twice for newcomers). Everyone as told to hongi everyone else, which felt a little uncomfortable when a big bruiser of an american waddles up to you to get in your face, but it did demonstrate one of the useful side effects of the hongi - it made it significantly easier to tell friend from foe. The whole body language of two people leaning in to touch nose to nose is quite dissimilar to someone wanting to punch or stab you.
We then learned our Maori names and how to introduce ourselves using them. We each had to pick a mountain that was close to our hearts, a river, and canoe (or method of transport) followed by our last name then given name.
I chose Kinder Scout for my mountain (it was the first one I ever walked up, the first one I ever took Yo up, and I still enjoy climbing it), the river Don is right next to my work and I see it every day, and I chose my car for my canoe. Some people chose airlines, their boats or whatever - but I guess my car is something special now. After all, it is the first one I've ever bought.
Yo chose Kinder Scout, the Don and (not surprisingly) her road bike.
Finally we learned a little history of the Maori - they settled NZ 900 years ago, the Europeans came around 200 years ago. Just before that, they had a big fight with another Maori tribe from the north - the apposing tribe brought crap loads of muskets, whilst the Ngai Thau only had two. They were routed, and driven south, and it took many, many years for them to reclaim their rightful land. In the meantime the Ngai Thau adapted to European settlement, and began whaling and logging alongside them - the exact opposite of their cultural values just a few years before.
We then got back into the van and drove to a place by the ocean where we made flowers by using Maori techniques of weaving flax. This is not the flax found in the rest of the world, but NZ flax, which is completely different.
We also began learning a Maori song, which whilst not being a traditional sing (being written by the tour guides sister), was still very beautiful - more so when accompanied by a guitar.
Bizarrely, after the weaving we went to the tour guides own home to have lunch. I was expecting some traditional Maori food - but instead got egg sandwiches. I guess that embodies the change the Maori have gone through in embracing the western world. They whaled, the logged, and now they made egg sandwiches.
We did sample something traditionally Maori though - kowa kowa tea, it was supposed to be medicinal and made from - you guessed it - kowa kowa leaves. It had a gorgeous menthol taste that still burned an hour or more later. Unfortunately it's not commercially available, and Maurice pointed out that too much of it is actually unhealthy. Good thing it's not available to buy then, I suppose, cos I'd have bought a ton of it. Whilst we were there his sister did a superb rendition of the song we were learning which put us all to shame.
Finally, Maurice packed us back into the van again and drove us back into the hills, this time towards forest where he pointed out lots of plants and trees that Maori have traditionally used throughout the years - including one tree which was estimated to be over 900 years old, and alive during the time the first ever Maori settlers came to New Zealand. Thinking of something alive for that length of time and witness to so much history kind of blew my mind.
The walk over, we headed back to the van and our car to head home.
2.5 hours drive
Yo meeting another Israel in a coffee shop in he middle of nowhere
Kaikoura beach
Maori tour
-singing
-forest walk
-pa
-weaving
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