Kia Ora!
It was the last home rugby game at Forsyth Barr Stadium for the Highlanders. The student section was packed. Abbie, also from Linfield, visited me in Dunedin. She is currently a 6 hour bus ride away at the University of Canterbury. The game was very exciting as the Highlander pulled off a win in the very last minute. It was a great way to end the season. I showed Abbie the sights of Dunedin by taking her to the Otago Museum, Baldwin Street, which is the steepest street in the world and then we made our way to St. Clair beach for sunset.
Let me tell you about my favorite experience in New Zealand thus far. After 3 months of practice, my Māori 108 class and I performed a kapa haka concert filled with songs, dances, and excitement. We performed songs that we never saw the lyrics to, we were taught in the traditional way, in the dark. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for this class as it shared the Māori culture and language with me in a hands on way. It brought me closer to new friends and provided me with new skills and confidence in singing and dancing. I was especially proud of myself when I got a handle on the poi dance. Controlling a ball tethered to a string is not as easy as people make it seem . The poi took many hours to practice.
On the night of the performance we were adorned with traditional piupiu (flax-stranded skirt) and moko kauae (women’s chin tattoo). It all came together when the curtains were drawn and we sung and danced our hearts out. We performed a mōteatea (song of sadness), two waiata-a-ringa (action songs), one poi dance, and one haka.
Truly, this was such a special moment for me to 1) learn about the people of Aotearoa and 2) to share what I learned with others.
Kia ora,
Kahiau
(Faith)