Spring 2002 Journal
April 4th
Last night was our first at the Takahanga Marae in Kaikoura. We spent an amazing evening getting to know some of the people here and learning the history of the building and its carvings. This place is beautiful! All the colours and intricate designs decorating every inch of the building are overwhelming. We spent the morning talking to Thomas and Tai about the local whale watching business.
The rest of the day was spent with Maurice, Rebecca and Jasmine, who brought us on a tour of Kaikoura and the surrounding forest. We visited a few historical Pa sites and went on a bush walk guided by Rebecca, who taught us the medicinal purposes of some of the native vegetation. We even learned a Maori song and sang it to all the oldest trees we encountered on our bush walk. Maurice's accompaniment with the guitar was very nice.
Becky