Exploring Indigenous Aotearoa (New Zealand) - North Island

When you are in the Bay of Islands there is also the opportunity to paddle on a waka - a traditional Maori canoe - up the Waitangi River. Taimai Canoe Tours is operated by Ngapuhi, the local Maori tribe, and this is one of the few places in the country where visitors are granted the opportunity to sail in a waka, and also to share in the legends of the area and its people.

From Te Hana it’s an hour and a quarter to Auckland or Tamaki Makaurau. In the centre of the city, surrounded by the parklands of the Domain, is the Auckland Museum which hosts daily performance outlining the story of Aotearoa and particularly of Auckland. The performance culminates in a vigorous and “spine-tingling” haka that will absolutely leave you awestruck. And excitingly afterwards you can meet the members of the group, chat with them about the show and people of the land, local Iwi Ngati Whatua, before wandering the gallery and discovering the fantastic collection of Maori and Pasifika artifacts and art.

The Museum has over 1,000 Maori artefacts, from woven to carved items, tools and a large collection of fibrework cloaks - dating back to the arrival and settlement of Maori. There is also a magnificent carved gateway, that came from near Kaitaia, which is one of the earliest surviving Maori carvings.

Then there is the Maori Natural History Gallery which has been developed to illustrate the Maori understanding of the natural world. It’s a sight and sound fiesta of the creation of the universe centred around the two primal parents - Ranginui and Papatuanuku. The ceiling is a star filled scape beneath which lies a landscape of Tamaki Makaurau, (Auckland) the routes of the first canoes and the legends of the ancestors.

If you prefer to get back to nature, you can drive the short distance across town to discover the history of Mount Eden - Maungawhau - on a Heaven to Earth Maori guided walk. You will be led up the mountain to the summit, which was once a pa (Maori strategic stronghold) for glorious views of the city and the harbours whilst learning of the legends of the mountain and the land surrounding it.

On the edge of Rotorua you will encounter Te Puia. Te Puia is home to the Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley where Pohutu - the largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere lives. Meaning “constant splashing” in Maori, Pohutu fires a surge of water, sometimes 30 metres high, into the air a couple of times every hour. There are also gloopy mud pools, and Ngararatuatara, (named after the endemic Tuatara lizard) a hot spring pool that is used for Ingo - a method of cooking where baskets containing food are lowered into the boiling water to cook.

Also within the grounds are the National Wood Carving School, National Stone and Bone Carving School and the National Weaving School, all formed to ensure the survival of these wonderful Maori traditions and luckily all visitors are able to see, first hand, the artists in action as Maori have been for hundreds of years.

New Zealanders are commonly known as Kiwi’s, after the small flightless bird found only in New Zealand of the same name. Kiwi’s are endangered and nocturnal so seeing them is tricky at the best of times. Luckily at Te Puia there is the opportunity to see some of New Zealand’s national icon and learn about what’s being done to protect this curious little bird.

After your tramping, kayaking and chilling in the Whanganui National Park head back to SH3 and then onto SH1, destination Wellington. New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, is a great little city. Radiating out from the harbour, Wellington, whilst quite windy is a fabulous place to spend a few days. It has numerous bars, cafes, restaurants, walks around the hills and coast, plus a superb range of galleries and shops. But most importantly for this cultural expedition is Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum. Te Papa has a plethora of activities and wonders to see, but one of the jewels in her crown is their collection of over 30,000 taonga or cultural treasures. You will be able to peruse ancestral carvings, cloaks and weapons as well as contemporary Maori visual art which reflects ideas around Maori culture, language and identity. Te Papa houses the largest collection of kakahu (cloaks) both contemporary and traditional and you can often watch weavers working on pieces and hear them and researchers talking about these treasures.