Auckland New Zealand

On Thursday, February 4, we left Sydney and flew to Auckland in New Zealand. Now we are in a totally new country with a new tour guide, but the same travel companions. As we flew into the city we could see that Auckland is located on a narrow isthmus of land about a third of the way down North Island (one of the 3 major islands making up New Zealand). We still had the Tasmin Sea to the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east. We stayed in the Citylife Auckland Hotel on the main street of Auckland – Queen Street.

Our tour guide is part Maori and very energetic. He immediately introduced us to the culture of New Zealand by taking us on a walk down Queen Street to the harbor area and then to a restaurant to taste New Zealand cuisine. We walked by lots of small shops and American fast food restaurants.

Prince, his wife & daughter at tea

On Friday, we set off to visit the War Memorial Museum. It is three story concrete building with an outdoor patio and a Cenotaph honoring the New Zealanders killed in wars and in particular the Maori who lived in this area. Prince, a member of the Ngati Whatua tribe, met us there and gave us a traditional Maori welcome ceremony. It was very moving. He sang for us and he has a lovely voice.

Then he walked us through the beautiful park surrounding the Memorial and spoke about the Maori life. We met his wife and daughter, who had set up a table and chairs at the edge of the park and served us tea and delicacies (a nice combination of Englishness and Maori). Afterwards we went into the museum to look at the exhibits on the People of the Pacific, particularly the Maori. We walked and window shopped back towards the hotel. We visited Holy Trinity Cathedral, which is a beautiful Anglican church which joins the Maori symbols to those brought by the Christian missionaries.

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Cenataph at War Memorial Museum

I was particularly interested in the contrast between the indigenous people of Australia and those of New Zealand. The Aborigines came from Africa some 40,000 years ago. The Maori are Polynesian and traveled the seas from a mountain village in Taiwan, following the trade winds and ocean currents in their catamaran style boats to settle in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, and also New Zealand. They have been here about 3000 years. They were warriors and cannibals and lived in tribes. But, when the Europeans arrived in New Zealand about 200 years ago, the tribes eventually joined forces. They elected a king and fought the invaders. There was a treaty signed and eventually they seem to have come to an accord. The Maori have been recognized as full citizens and the tribes have been given restitution for the land taken from them. They are trying to maintain their culture and still live a fairly modern life. Their language has been declared the second language in New Zealand along with English.