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The Māori are the native Polynesian people of New Zealand. The ancestors of the Māori originated from south-east Asia. Some historians trace these early settlers as migrating from today’s China. However, more commonly, the indigenous Māori are believed to have come from Haiwaiki, an island or group of islands in Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean. Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer, noticed that the kumara, or the sweet potato, originated in central South America. This was the staple cultivated food crop of the Māori. Along with the very distinct similarities between the Māori language and the culture and those of Polynesia, such as the Cook Islands, Hawaii, and Tahiti, scholars were led to believe that the Māori came from Haiwaiki. It is not possible to locate Haiwaiki on a modern-day map, however.

 

According to tradition, the first explorer to arrive in Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand, was Kupe. This mythical Polynesian navigator used the stars and ocean currents as his directional guides, and ventured across the Pacific on his voyaging canoe or waka hourua. Ethnologists estimate he arrived in Aotearoa around 925 CE. The first mass arrival of Polynesian settlers, known as the Great Fleet, brought the Māori to Aotearoa in several waves. Modern scholars estimate this happened between 1250 and 1300.

 

After living over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers established a new culture known as the “Māori,” with their own language, mythology, and arts and crafts. The Māori were expert hunters and fishermen, so their most notable crafts include making stone adzes (cutting tools), weaving fishing nets from flax, and carving fishhooks from stone and bone. Tribal groups were also formed based on Polynesian social customs. Warfare between these tribes was also common. Māori warriors were fierce and fearless – they built numerous weapons from stone and bone to be used in hand-to-hand combat. Training occurred from a young age to prepare children for future conflict, which was usually over territory.

 

It is when the Europeans arrived in New Zealand from the seventeenth century that enormous change was brought to the Māori way of life; they began adopting aspects of Western society and implementing them into their own lives. At the beginning, relations between the Māori and the Europeans were solid – the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, allowing both cultures to live alongside each other amicably in a British colony. Tensions began to rise over disputed land sales some two decades later, which led to major conflict. It was only by the twentieth century that the Māori began to recover.




Roberta’s daughters
second from left to right..Hinepau, Teina, Amonhia  

RE  THE HOT POOL


Yes the hot pool is called the Hirere- which means waterfall.  It was and still today, is a communal tribal bath. Stand under that waterfall and be treated to a hot thermal massage like no other!  
Dad loved the hirere.  We used to go most evenings- preferring that to the bath in our house. It played an important role in keeping everyone in touch as we would meet different uncles and aunties, cousins etc,  everyone catching up, sharing news, making plans, laughing, arguing, gossiping more laughing and basically keeping connected.  Dad was also very useful, being so pale of skin- he glowed in the moonlight  which helped me find my towel and clothes 😄  (no electricity or roof on the bathhouse )

As for me, I am still living in Rotorua.  Sadly- my Mum passed away just 5 weeks ago.  We buried her next to Dad on the first day of our national lock down so it was extremely intimate and nothing like the usual 3 day tangihanga/funeral ceremony which would have been held had circumstances been ‘normal’.  It was unexpected as she suffered a stroke.  She has had health issues for almost two decades now so I am relieved that she suffers no more and she will be glad to be reunited with Dad and Rich. 

 Me, I have three daughters: and one grand daughter who all live with me and their father Te Rama.  My eldest daughter was supposed to be moving to London next month however that is obviously on hold for the while.  My middle child is a Mum to our 3 year old moko (grandie) and my youngest daughter is just outta high school studying Marine Science.  I work as an education lecturer at the local Polytechnic training teachers.  This lock down has forced us to go online and together with the fact that I was on bereavement leave for the first two weeks- I am extremely behind and super busy learning new technology to turn my face to face classes into engaging online learning..  A challenging time for all of us.  

My brother Richard has two sons- one who was born 6 months after he died. Lincoln is older and Richie is the younger one.  Surreal to think that my birth family- the one that I learnt what it means to be a family- have all moved on to the next stage without me- but fortunately they left me in good stead to love and care for my own family and I expect them to provide me with great fanfare when I get there!  😉

Gosh- I can hear my email going crazy in the background.  I apologize for the brevity of my email.  I loved your story about Dad and look forward to finding out about all the family. Just fascinating and a great idea!   

As you my have read- I was able to come to Canada a few years ago.  I spent a week with Aunt Sandy in Calgary before flying on to a conference in Toronto.  I was able to hire a car and squeeze a  trip to Fergus in to spend a few hours with Uncle Earl.  The trip was a very short one and I was due to return to Calgary this June. I would love to come back to Ontario and spend sometime hearing your stories in person.

I have just found Andrew on facebook and added him.  Don’t know why I never thought to do that before? I don’t post much but still be good to hear from him.

Well I have a zoom meeting (a sign of the covid-times) in 25minutes so I’d better get ready to allay some student fears about assessments and cancelled practicums.  Yay for me! hehe

 Here are a few more pics (cos they are much more fun to look at!)