Bay of Islands - where New Zealand began

Bay of Islands consists of 144 islands, secluded bays and an abundance of marine life. What a difference from the business of Auckland – we already liked Bay of Islands better. This is the New Zealand we were expecting to see. 

Our choice of adventures today was a closer look at the Maori culture (the indigenous people of New Zealand) and the opportunity to paddle a traditional Maori War Canoe. If any of you have seen the movie, The Whale Rider, it is a story based on the Maori tribe. I had seen the movie, but hadn’t connected it to where we going until it was shown again on the ship. There were 36 of us paddling this war canoe – two canoes attached together like a catamaran. They are very sturdy so no danger of tipping over. But we did have to paddle for almost two hours as we made our way down the Waitangi River to the spiritual waterfall, Haruru Falls. The Maori guide, who greeted us in the language of his people before translating – was full of information to share about his people and culture and how they are working to keep the culture alive by making it mandatory for their children to learn the language and their customs. So these children are bi-lingual, speaking Maori and English. He also shared information about the Bay of Islands, explaining that this area was the original New Zealand.

The Maori originally come from Polynesia and probably arrived in New Zealand before AD 1000. Captain James Cook chartered the two main islands of New Zealand in 1760 and 1770 and eventually enjoyed a good relationship with the Maori people – who eventually made peace with the British by signing the historic pact called the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6, 1840.

Back to our canoes… we had to learn some traditional paddling techniques as well as a few Maori words so we would know when to paddle and when to stop. We sang as we paddled – we rested – we stood up and stretched – and Ed even met a couple from Manasquan (sitting right behind him in the canoe) – and we determined that we even have mutual friends including Scott Brown (last name Mahoney (a former FBI agent) they used to live in Colts Neck; although they worshiped at St. Mary’s, they knew many folks in the area – six degrees of separation!) We even learned the All Black Haka – we call it “scary face” – which the Maori warriors used against their enemies prior to attack. We even got to practice it on kayakers we passed on the river; of course, we would all just giggle afterwards.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in the small town, Paihia, where we enjoyed lunch overlooking the water and browsed the small shops and craft market.

The cruise portion of our trip is coming to an end – which is amazing to us. It’s felt slow but it has also gone by fast. We’ve met so many wonderful people and we’ll be sad not to see them every day; however, a new adventure awaits in Australia. Until then…