By: Chris Gamel
New Zealand has embraced the marriage of the two predominating cultures that make up its people: the Maori who arrived by boat approximately 1,000 years ago and the Europeans who arrived 600 years later. In order to experience both cultures, we visited a Maori village one evening and then spent the following morning at the Agrodome, a exhibitionary a sheep and beef farm.
We drove from Tauranga, the small town where we were renting a house, to Rotoroa, the stronghold for the Maori people on the North Island. From the information center, we were taken by bus to the Tamaki Maori village about thirty minutes away. We picked the company because it is owned and operated by Maori people. The tour essentially mimicks the process of one tribe (the tourists) visiting a traditional Maori tribe in their village, beginning with the startling challenge of peace, the sharing of unique cultural elements, a performance of traditional songs and dances, and ending with a delicious traditional Maori dinner of “hangi”, which is essentially meat and vegetables steam cooked in an underground pit. The experience was both educational and respectful of the Maori culture.
The following day, we returned to Rotoroa to spend the morning at a working sheep, beef, and agricultural farm that is open to tours. We watched a sheep show where they introduced us to the nineteen types of sheep found throughout the world and culminated with a sheep sheering demonstration. We also briefly saw a sheepdog at work, herding and managing a group of sheep around a field. In addition, we received a tour of the farm where we saw the paddocks housing sheep, cattle, alpacas, and deer, and we saw the orchards of kiwi fruits, olives, and manuka. To further highlight the continued marriage of the old and “new” cultures in New Zealand, we were surprised to learn that the Agrodome had actually been bought by a Maori family two years ago.
While New Zealand is known for hobbits and high-adrenaline adventure travel, it is also a mecca of cultural experiences. If you are planning a trip to New Zealand, make sure you take the time to learn about the Maori and the European cultures that make up its people.
