Today was incredible! We had the opportunity to visit theAuckland War Memorial museum. This museum rivals the Smithsonians of DC. It had3 different levels with multiple exhibits per level ranging from volcanoes,oceans, forest, dinosaurs, to Maori art, history, weapons, clothing, to a hugefloor dedicated to those who had fought in the armed forces in all of NZ’smajor battles. It was, like I said earlier, incredible!
We got to the museum just in time for the daily Maoriperformance. The show lasted about a half hour and it involved traditionalchants and songs as well as a poi ball performance ending with a haka from themen. They were all dressed in traditional clothing (as you’ll see) and no themen are not wearing anything under that cloth…. Anyway, the performance wasamazing! They even welcomed us in by blowing a giant conch shell! Before eachdance they would talk about the cultural significance behind each dance. Theytold us before the haka that it is a traditional war dance to help the men preparefor battle. They slap themselves so as to toughen up the skin and they stickout their tongue because in Maori culture that is a sign of complete dominanceand defiance. I have seen a few performances of the haka before but this onewas unlike any I had ever seen before. It was super intense! I had chillsrunning up and down my spine and I kept having to remind myself that it wasjust a show and not real!
After the show we took a guided tour of the Maori exhibitwith one of the performers. He told us all about the marea- the Maori spiritualplace. They have carvings of their ancestors all along the walls. In order toenter you have to first take off your shoes as a sign of respect. Most of thecarvings show their ancestors with their tongue sticking out as a form ofrespect. All of the carvings on the face are tattoos that those tribe membershad in real life. Only the chiefs are tattooed since it is a sign of respectand status. The tattoos show how that person is related to the past ancestors.Today the tattoos are put on like any other tattoo but in the past theyactually would chisel the design into the skin and fill it in with ink… womenwould usually only have a design tattooed (chiseled) into the chin and lips.Although there are no full blood Maoris left on the island because of marriagebetween cultures, there are many people who are still able to keep up thetraditions of their ancestors.
Erika gave us a few hours to go throughout the museum afterour tour and to explore. The kids exploration corner was one of the coolestkids centers I have ever seen. They had all sorts of interactive games andactivities for the kids to participate in as well as computer centers wherekids can explore about different animals. Even though we were all adults it wasstill really fun!
My favorite part was walking through the war exhibits. Theyhad entire sections dedicated to their own civil wars, WWI and WWII. It wassuper interesting looking at the wars through a Kiwi perspective. There werenew ideas as to how the war could have ended and what brought NZ to fight inthe first place. Funny how everyone seems to know US history and yet how muchdo we know about other countries and their histories? They had a huge halldedicated to those who had given their lives in the wars that NZ had fought it.
It was also incredible because as I walked around theexhibits I was able to experience the trenches of WWI, walk along the streetsof Auckland during the 1800s, and hear Hitler’s call to arms during WWII. Thismuseum didn’t just have plaques on walls and artifacts behind glass it actuallytook you inside the event itself so that you could experience what happened foryourself. I walked out of that museum wishing I could have spent all day there.
The day ended with a surprise treat from Erika. She took usto a chocolate boutique and bought us all some of the most delicious chocolatedrinks and desserts I have ever tried. J Definitely a greatending to another great day!
This building is original and it was used as a food storage place for the village.
The man on the left was our tour guide.
One of the many different memorials set up for the people.
Ok, so NZ doesn't have lots of spiders but they do have these disgusting bugs called wetas. This is a cave weta and it is giant! It's legs can have a span as long as my arm.... gross!!
My chocolate gift from Erika- Italino denso or Italian hot chocolate. Super yum!
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