Posts in category Auckland, NZ

Above: Linda on the Maori waka we visited in New Zealand. To check out a video of a modern waka caught in a storm, click here! The Maori tribe has long inhabited New Zealand as it’s first settlers. Today their tribes still thrive on it’s coast and are keeping up it’s ancient ancestral traditions. This includes reviving the Maori way of navigation. Traditionally the Polynesian people navigated their way through the pacific in canoes, which the Maori referred to as a waka. New Zealand’s abundance of wide-girthed trees such as tōtara meant that Māori could build much more diverse waka (canoes) than in their Polynesian homeland. They developed a variety of …

So what is a slow city? Well a slow city’s goal is to improve quality of life in cities and towns by slowing down it’s overall pace. Changing the flow and traffic through them. Matakana is New Zealand’s first slow city so far, but the movement does not come from New Zealand. It was actually founded much earlier in Italy, by the organization; Cittaslow in 1999. Their movement was inspired by the slow food movement at the time (which also strives to better a local environment, by preserving traditional and regional cuisine, and encouraging a healthy local ecosystem). Cittaslow is now a global organization and movement, encouraging high quality local ingredients. …

Linda exchanging energy above in a traditional Maori greeting/welcoming ceremony The Maori are the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand. Culturally, they are Polynesians, most closely related to eastern Polynesians. After contact with Europeans, the people now known as the Maori began using the term tangata maori, meaning “usual or ordinary people,” to refer to themselves. Ceremonies and Beliefs Most public rites were performed in the open, at the marae. The gods were offered the first fruits of all undertakings, and slaves were occasionally sacrificed to propitiate them. Incantations (karakia ) were chanted in flawless repetition to influence the gods. Because spiritual forces such as mana, tapu and mauri were seen …

Chef Rewi above checking in on his Hangi feast on this hot summer day at A Taste of Auckland How It’s Done Hāngi cooking is the most widely used method of cooking by the Maori culture of New Zealand for over 200o years and dates back across other cultures, though it is referred to by different names. Foods cooked in the hāngi style are placed underground on a bed of hot rocks and vegetation, while steam cooks the food over a slow period. In New Zealand today, it is still a popular practice for the Maori people, who are dedicated to keeping their cultural ancestry alive and well. Hangi Tradition It …

Auckland, NZ is a vibrant city with a rich cultural history and many beautiful hot spots to flock to. In a country of 4.5 million inhabitants, 1/3 live in the exciting and most vibrant metropolis: Auckland, which you can check out on  Auckland Tours. Locals who live life here are a true melting pot of immigrants and the first settlers; The Maori. The original Maori name for Auckland was Tamaki Makaurau. Recently ATEED successfully bid for Auckland to stage the ninth World Masters Games in 2017. It is the largest multi-sport event in the world, attracting more athletes than even the summer Olympic Games. ATEED set up a subsidiary company to plan and …

The Auckland Zoo is not just any ordinary zoo. What makes this place special is their many conservation efforts. They work hard to breed and release species found nowhere else in the world, to bring them back from the edge of extinction. The zoo itself is even covered in 100% native New Zealand plants, to keep them alive and thriving as well. In our NZ episode, we see a variety of insects, plants, and animals at the Zoo, but perhaps you’d like to tak a closer look at some of the ones we met? The wetapunga or giant weta is one such guest on our show and the largest of …

Waiheke Island, with it’s beautiful landscapes and multitude of waterways, attracted some of Auckland’s first settlers, like the Maori tribes whose descendants still inhabit the island. Today, the island is home to many locals as well as a magical vacation hotspot. The island is covered in scenic beaches, which produce surfer swells and hot hangouts. In 1945 the population of Waiheke was still only 835, but today,it has skyrocketed to around 8340 people! This boom has brought many things, including vineyards, turning Waiheke Island into what has become know as New Zealand’s “Island of Wine”. Growers have used the ancient soil structures to produce a variety of distinctive and striking …