Annie and Sue' s Great Adventure: Nov. 17 - 20

The next adventure was our time at the two marae with our Maori hosts. We were welcomed into their community and learned a lot about the Maori attitudes toward their land and people. It was a fascinating experience and we were truly fortunate to be able to stay in this unique environment. All the students slept together in the big common room of the marae, and we all helped with the kitchen chores. One of the highlights was a hangi feast - think Maori clambake with chicken, mutton and pork instead of seafood. The preparation happened while we were white water rafting, then we all helped dig it up and eat it. We also got to check out their "waka" - a huge canoe manned by sixteen people. It was hard to say goodbye and head off to Auckland for our last night before heading off on Friday.