Hangi Dinner & Whaka Village

The Whaka village was and great and beautiful. Those villagers all have been able to protect and preserve their traditional cooking and living styles, even with this new rush of technology and modernizationg. The have been abkle to stay true to their ancestors and ancient way of life but using tourism as a way to teach the world. They knew that is they didn't let outsiders in peacefully they would eventually be pushed aside so they decided to open up their village and branch out to neighboring communities in a calm and welcoming way. By not threatening others they were allowed to show and preach their beliefs and tell about their traditions without any fight.The Maori people have fought for their independence and prominence within the country by demanding for respect. Fighting for their spot in society is something they have done for awhile and just recently achieved. Personally I just liked to see all the old fashioned houses and decorations all over. I also loved that they still use the heat microwaves to cook their food. To see how they understand the land and utilize it without harming it is inspirational. They know their country like the back of their hand and are their own rulers. Now fast forward to the the Hangi dinner and there just is no comparison. The "native" people were laughing and talking to each other right on stage DURING their performance. Even after yelling at us multiple times to be quite they giggled and whispered throughout their songs, like we couldn't see them! I definitely was more into the village because you could actually feel their attachment to the culture, not just as performers.

Today we got up early, saw the beautiful sunrise, and jumped on a duck tour before the day began. Our duck travelled out onto two different lakes which were mostly covered in fog. Later we were able to get a first hand account into the lives of native Maori people. We were allowed to

go through all of their village and check out different baths, mud pools, schools, and kitchens. All of their kitchens were outdoors so their "microwaves" were boxes on the ground filled with steam that they just leave their food in to cook. Their village was very close knit and beautiful and had some delish pieces of sulfur cooked corn! Back at the hotel we went to a traditional Hangi dinner/dance that really didn't impress much of us considering it was just a buffet and the dancers weren't even into what they were doing.