Kiwi Travelogue

Hundreds of years ago groups of seafaring, adventure-loving Polynesian explorers set sail in canoes (or wakas, as they called them) and discovered an uninhabited group of islands in the South Pacific. They became the first settlers in the lush and green wonderland full of exotic birdlife. Many of them perished in the cold. But then they learned to heat up rocks to keep themselves warm at night, make tools out of sea shells, and make warm clothing from flax fiber, feathers, and fur. They carved out a niche for themselves in what they named Aotearoa, or the land of the white cloud, a place that was renamed New Zealand by the Dutch in the 17th century.
An interesting fact about New Zealand is that, before the arrival of the settlers, the only mammals there either swam (e.g. fur seals) or flew (e.g. bats). Due to the complete absence of terrestrial predators, many species of birds quit the very energy-intensive activity of flying. But the modern times ushers in human settlers, who brought with them predatory mammals that posed a serious threat to most flightless and many flying bird species. The nocturnal kiwi – the national bird of New Zealand – is critically endangered. The kakapo – a flightless, nocturnal parrot – is near extinction. Currently, the 124 living kakapos in the world are being conserved in predator-free islands. The gigantic moa became extinct some 500 years ago. The threats are serious, but there is hope, thanks to the tireless efforts of passionate conservationists! Here are some pictures of the endemic plants and bird species of New Zealand. 

Experiencing Maori culture was probably the most entertaining part of my New Zealand visit. About 16% of 4.3 million Kiwi people today are Maori. They say that the average New Zealander these days is at least one-sixteenth Maori by blood. The Maori are a lively people adept at wood carving, music, and weaving. We visited a Maori village at Rotorua. Before we could enter their village our “chief” (random scapegoat on our bus ;-)) was challenged by the members of their tribe. Once inside we explored their village, listened to stories, got acquainted with their lifestyle – both past and present, attended a Maori concert, and finally joined them for their traditional Hangi feast. I would like to share with you a series of video clips from the welcoming ceremony and the concerts.

The most unforgettable experience I had in New Zealand, however, was the boat ride through the Waitomo glow worm grotto. The boat there takes you through the still waters of an underground stream. Your eyes take some time to adjust to the pitch darkness, and your mind is soothed by the pervasive tranquility. And then, the boat enters the glow worm grotto - a cave chamber where the naturally sculptured ceiling is aglow with the luminescence of myriads of glow worms. The Waitomo glow worm, Arachnocampa luminosa, is unique to New Zealand. The larvae spin thread-like sticky feeding lines hanging from their little nests on the ceiling and use their light to lure prey, which get trapped in the threads. Something spectacular happened when our guide stamped her foot loudly on the boat. Suddenly the whole chamber seemed to light up even brighter. The greedy worms sensed the sound and took it to be a sign from potential prey, and started glowing many times brighter with hope of catching for themselves a hearty meal. Sadly (for us, and gladly for nature), photography is not allowed on this tour.
Those were just some highlights. I have a lot more to share than I can in one post. We started off at Auckland and then, through Waitomo, Rotorua, Taupo, and Napier, traveled to Palmerston North. From there we visited Manawatu gorge and Wellington, the capital city. And finally we took the scenic Overlander train ride back to Auckland. The Kiwi countryside is gorgeous and green and spotted with grazing farm animals, mainly cattle and sheep. After all, it's a country where there are 10 times as many sheep as people. Some of the other great experiences were the geothermal areas of Rotorua, sailing near Auckland, getting lost in the Bush (with umbrellas) in the rain, and of course some quality family time. I'll stop here and let the pictures tell the rest of my story.