Maori Culture
Laura Harvey, Cornell University and Ryan Tierney, University of New Hampshire
Coming off the flight to Auckland all of us EcoQuesters gathered our belongings for the semester, and stumbled into the Auckland International Airport lobby. Waiting for us were John, Wendy and Elizabeth, some of the EcoQuest staff. We were greeted with smiles and hugs, and soon realized that we were in good hands. After a short car ride, we piled out of the vans and on to our new home. It was dark outside when we got there, so we didn't know yet that there is a beach in our backyard, or that New Zealand is more beautiful than the pictures.
Our first day here was spent getting to know each other, and getting to know our way around the grounds. That afternoon we learned that we were going to be leaving for an overnight hike the next morning. After unpacking, and repacking our hiking bags, we found ourselves back in the vans and on our way to the Coromandel Peninsula Hiking up the mountain we tramped through streams, temperate rainforests, and magnificent stands of Kauri trees. When we finally reached the Pinnacles Hut (which really was more like a hotel), we feasted on beef or tofu stir-fry and rice. With a room outfitted to sleep 40, we could have spread out and had lots of personal space; however we all chose to sleep as group, together for the first time. The next morning, with pancakes in our bellies, we started back down the mountain -a much closer group than we had been when we arrived.
One of the best parts about EcoQuest is the fact that you really get to know your teachers. This is far from your typical 300 person lecture. Each learning experience is an interaction with your teacher; you aren't just sitting there absorbing a lecture. You get to go outside and apply the knowledge that you are learning. The hands-on learning style was evident during our hike to the Pinnacles. Our field leader John would stop us periodically to examine the patterns of forestation around us. He taught us how to recognize areas that had been recently disturbed, and how to determine the cause. We learned about the primary colonizing species, and how possums (an invasive species) were killing the forest.
Back at EQ headquarters, we've learned about Maori culture and history, local ecology and biodiversity, and the political history of New Zealand (did you know that New Zealand still considers Queen Elizabeth II to be their Queen?). It is really interesting to learn about a culture that is so different than our own. Last week we were invited to visit the marae that is right up the street. A marae is the sacred ground of the local Maori tribe. They invited us onto their land so that they could welcome us to the area. Before going, Ria taught us about the cultural norms of the Maori so that we wouldn't offend anyone, or make fools of ourselves. She also taught us how to sing a traditional Maori song as part of our welcome ceremony. Although we were far from sounding like a choir, I think that we were able to bring mana (pride or power) to Jono with our singing.
Not only is the staff friendly and outgoing, but it is so great to be here with a group of 22 kids that all get along. There is a good mix of universities and majors here, everything from environmental conservation and ecology to hotel management and philosophy. Despite coming from a variety of backgrounds, that doesn't stop us from having killer games of Ultimate during our class breaks.
We've only been in New Zealand a week now, but I don't think we could be happier. We had a bonfire here last night, and today in the remnants of the fire you could almost see the friendships forming. The next 14 weeks can only get better.