"Don't buy pork- they're Jewish."
Trip Start
Dec 14, 2004
1
3
27
Trip End
May 25, 2005
Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Rachel and I have spent the past 5(?) days traveling around the Bay of Plenty region... lots to tell :)
We were so happy to leave Auckland on Saturday morning--- not that it's a "bad" city- but it's just a city, and we were anxious to get on our way. We took the bus to Tauranga (with a lovely stop for 'morning tea' at a cute little tea house... NZ is very British in that way.) and made our way to our hostel- "Just the Ducks Nuts Backpackers"--- the owners, Gordon and Sue, informed us that it's an English expression, similar to "just the bees' knees". We thought it was funny. The hostel was like a co-op. Lots of long-term travelers spending a month+ there, while working at kiwi farms. Tauranga is a small city right in the Bay of Plenty, connected by a bridge to Mt. Maunganui. (Side note: The weather in NZ has been schizophrenic--- sun one minute, torrential downpour the next.) Our first day in Tauranga brought high winds, and rain- of course. We made a quick shopping trip at the Pak n' Save to pick up groceries, and then made our way back to the hostel for the night. Most of the other travelers there were German- a few French kids too. Friendly enough, but we were certainly on the outside of a tight-knit group, which was exacerbated by the fact that we were only planning on staying for 2 nights. Rachel and I cooked our first successful dinner (quesadillas and guacamole- what else?) and hung out with some of the other people there--- watched The Royal Tenenbaums, and went to sleep praying for a sunny day.
On Sunday we took advantage of the main reason we chose the hostel---- free bikes to use. In spite of the winds/clouds/intermittent showers- we made our way across the bay over to Mt. Maunganui. The city centre of Mt. Maunganui was pretty much like any other seaside town- but the sun kept shining, as we made our way towards the mountain. We decided to attempt the moderate trail leading up to the summit. The entire way up was absolutely gorgeous--- stunning views of the bay-- aqua water, clear views of all of the bits of island around the Mt. The trail wasn't too difficult at all-- but there were some threatening rain clouds on the eastern side of the mountain that we chose to ignore. Just as we made our way to the peak, it was pretty obvious that we were about to get soaked. We took cover with an older couple that had taken the more difficult trail, and not only did the rain come down, but so did some lovely hail!? Definitely was not prepared for that. But like the weather seems to do here, it passed... at least for long enough for to take a few pictures. (those will come later.) Of course we got absolutely drenched and froze in the whipping winds that decided to join us for the descent. But no need for the dramatics... it was cold, it was wet- and then it was over. Nothing a bowl of hot chocolate didn't cure once we made it back to town. Sadly though, we still had our bikes locked up, and a good 6km ride back to the hostel ahead of us. Intrepid though we are, we wouldnt' have minded a ride back instead :) But, we made it- and wrapped up the day feeling pretty proud of ourselves.
Monday, we left Tauranga, and made our way down to Whakatane (pronounced Fak-a-tahni) to stay with our very first SERVAS hosts, Waaka and Rosalind. For those of you who don't know, we joined SERVAS, an international organization that allows travelers to experience cultures first-hand, through homestays with local hosts. It's actually a really neat org., founded on ideals of peacekeeping through one-on-one interactions--- you can check out more about it www.servas.org ANYWAY.... Waaka is probably in his early 60's, and is the Maori policy advisor for the Bay of Plenty. He met us at the bus, took us over to his office to have coffee, and then brought us back to their home to wait for his wife Rosalind to join us. He is a very educated man- first as an economist, now as a policy advisor on Maori relations. (Maori are the indigenous tribes of NZ--) The man could talk--- literally, for hours. He told us tons of Maori folktales, but spoke more passionately (and bitterly, to be honest) about the contemporary issues between the Maori and the NZ government. The story is frighteningly similar to that of Native American, and the first settlers... lots of land appropriation, social subjugation, etc. However, his wife Rosalind is 'pakeha'--- white. A mixed marriage of sorts. She is an early childhood educator, and the two of them were really wonderful hosts. They made us a delicious dinner our first night there-- with a salad from her garden, and plenty of NZ wine. Their house was modest- but Waaka made it clear from the beginning that it was their custom to show travelers/guests the highest level of hospitality- we had our own room, and were made to feel very welcome. Now- this isn't to say that the visit didn't have it's moments. First of all- Waaka was like a Maori Daddy Warbucks. He reminded me of Albert Finney--- very formal and dry in his humor, and he carried himself in that same way. Rachel and I spent half the time just trying to keep up with him and understand what he was saying. He also had a very British way of speaking, having learned English in school from British teachers, so his humor also had that sardonic edge to it. Rosalind was very nice as well--and you could tell she tried to keep Waaka at bay sometimes with his storytelling. We watched the movie Whale Rider with her our first night--- very appropriate, though Waaka made it clear that the movie took poetic license with Maori customs. Enjoyable, nonetheless. One other thing about Waaka (in regards to the title of this entry): with a Jewish population of about 3,000 in the whole country, we could tell were a bit of a novelty to him. When Rosalind called him to ask about dinner, he insisted "Don't buy pork- they're Jewish". The Jewish thing came up a bit-- mostly curiousity, I think.
Yesterday it rained, of course... we got a slow start to the day- walked around the small town of Whakatane, and bought a gift for our hosts... then back to the house to meet Waaka, who was going o take us to his tribes' village to show us around. The rain was pouring, and Rachel and I truthfully might have been more up for a nap- but it was worth the trip. We saw two of the community houses, where the tribal elders meet, have celebrations, etc. Saw lots of beautiful carvings- and of course, heard more stories. Waaka was a talker, for sure. Sometime during the ride home, Waaka's mood shifted, and as far as I can tell, that was the end of our time with him- he asked me what I wanted to do with my life (a question I'm sure some of you would like answered as well) and my answer was obviously dissatisfactory to him... when he double-whammied us by insinuating that Rachel wanted to be a teacher solely for the long summer break, that might have been the breaking point. We met up with Rosalind back at their house- had some hot tea, and then she took us for a scenic drive around the beaches, and the Bay--- pretty views. We met up with Waaka for dinner at their local pub (where he clearly spends a good deal of time)--- had fish and chips and a toastie while Waaka bet on the greyhound races in Australia, and prepared to end our time in Whakatane...
All's well that end's well... our first SERVAS experience was definitely memorable--- and now we're in Taupo, where we hope to spend more than a couple of days, and settle in through the X-mas weekend. Things will pretty much shut down here the way they do at home- but the Taupo Hot Springs Spa is open on X-Mas day, which seems like a good way to make up for missing the movies and chinese take-out! :)
Lots of love and misses!
Jodie and Rachel
