Whakarewarewa

I reserved a $45 tour of the Living Maori Village.....why is everything so darn expensive?! I passed on the traditional Maori hangi meal for an additional $25. The village was 2 km from the hotel and it was a nice warm day for walking. Our tour guide was one of the elders who did struggle a bit with his memorized speech. He would have been better off speaking from the heart. There are about 50 people actually living in the village but many of the homes have been converted into gift shops. The retailers pay rent but have to be a lineal descendant of the tribe. The tour was followed by a 25 minute performance by Maori singers and dancers. You are welcome to spend additional time walking through the village. On the way out I stopped at one of the gift shops and had a very interesting conversation with one of the staff who was about my age. We discussed politics, education, health care, and social issues, comparing the two countries. I learned there is so much similarity in the issues that face the Maori and our indigenous people.Read more