Waitangi Day

Today was Waitangi Day, and I decided to stay in the Bay of Islands for this event since Waitangi is in the next bay from Paihia. It was quite a show. People poured in and there were food stalls and cheap vendors everywhere.

Bronson and I started off inside the treaty grounds, walking through the morae or meeting-house. It was beautifully maintained. Then we walked through the very English grounds and into the courtyard of the treaty house. It was most interesting to see how the house had been renovated over the years to become a quaint seaside residence where for a little while the government of New Zealand had its power.

We headed down through the grounds and across the bridge to the beach where several waka or war canoes from all over the country had come to celebrate. There were several rounds of hakas, lots of bare-chested men and boys calling upon their ancestors for the races that afternoon. Wandering through the stalls, Bronson caught a whiff of pauas and cream so we stopped for lunch. It was surprisingly good, just a thick soup with a chunk of bread to sponge up the last bits. I also had a steak, cheese and onion sandwich from another stall.

Back inside the treaty grounds there was a stage with performances throughout the afternoon. We caught two different groups who had put together a series of folk songs, traditional hakas, as well as original songs and hakas. We also heard a young boy perform several show tunes. He had just returned from performing at a theater in London. The best act was a local comedy group. While I didn't understand the political jokes (I laughed once I heard the back story) the two men and three ladies ingeniously danced around in tutus and were hysterically in-sync with their audience. It was such a pleasure to see a bit of Kiwi culture.

What I have found interesting is the way that the New Zealand government and people truly try to integrate native Maori culture in with the impeding European settlers. In many ways, the majorly British influences have taken over, but there is an extremely active struggle to make sure the Maori people are not forgotten. Native Americans back home do not have the government spending so much time interested in them, and I would be astonished to see a Native American political party like there is a Maori Party in New Zealand. It was definitely worth postponing my travel plans to celebrate this day in its birthplace.

K's Can Be Deceiving

The US always seemed like the center of the world, but we are one of the few antiquated places still using the empirical system. I went for a jog the other day and ended up going roughly 11km or 5 miles. All I could think about is how long each kilometer felt. We grow up knowing metric measurements are smaller than empirical, but it still felt like it was taking ages. I usually go on the Waitangi-Haruru Falls walking track because it's hilly, well maintained, and a measured 5k. Usually I see 20 or so others hiking along, but the woods have a way of pulling you in. After only a few solo minutes you feel like you could follow this path back in time to old New Zealand. It helps that there are some pretty views and a massive waterfall at the far end.

I've also had the pleasure of becoming addicted to Cadbury's chocolate caramello bars. They come in 55g, 110g, and 220g sizes. Thinking I was being thrifty, I would buy the biggest bars and freeze them. They never lasted more than a day or two, even though I had tried to convince myself it was for the whole week. Luckily they don't come in kilogram size.

Running became my retaliation against Cadbury's. Thinking about the presidential fitness test we did in middle school, I decided to clock myself. I actually hate running, so I mostly power walk (arms and everything) and take an average of 9 minutes 35 seconds per kilometer. This speed leaves me happily satisfied with my workout 6-10km later. But as I approached the track today, I decided to run for it. One kilometer later I was unhappily breathless. 7 minutes 20. That is roughly the time I got running one mile ten years ago at age 13. That's depressing.

While running will never be my athletic preference, it was still a nice work-out. Most people use simple measurements to observe the world around them, all based around the weight and volume of water. Perhaps kilometers would feel shorter if I had grown up on metric, and maybe someday we will switch over. But for now, I`m happy with the eccentricities of empirical and will be even happier to drive on the right-hand side of the road back in America.