Adventures in Tribal Lands (Part Two)...

...so the Hangi dinner was over, night was falling across the lake and the brave few were off to put on their waders to go down to catch an eel or two.  Was I among them???

Well, obviously I'd have LOVED to do it, but I had an appointment at eight the next morning with Maurice,

a Maori elder and Dad of Karl (co-owner of the lodge), who was taking me on a tour of their tribe's Marae (their equivalent of a town/community hall) and on into the Whirinaki rainforest for a bit of a stomp.  Since the eelers weren't going to be back before midnight, regretfully I had to decline.

But my time with Maurice was a unique treat -he was able to tell me everything from what it was like growing up when tribe all lived together round the Marae; before they used money and simply lived off the land.  He's also part of the commission for his tribe, the Ngati Manawa, involved in reclaiming their land from the government - some 176,000 hectares.  He was fascinating, open and honest about being a Maori; it took ten years for the land reclamation to be agreed, and when I asked him if he ever doubted it would happen, or felt like giving up, he said firmly 'Maori never lie down.  When they want something they just keep going.'

A visit to the Ngati Manawa's Marae, was fascinating; inside the main building

were wood carvings of every tribe, through which every Maori can trace his heritage.  Everything happens at the Marae; birthdays, funerals, parties, story-telling, community meetings.  I couldn't take pictures inside the building, but this was one of the chiefs depicted outside (a particularly scary one apparently).

From there we went up to the rainforest, where Maurice knew every tree, plant, shrub, pathway, from having spent months at a time living in the forest.

The Whirinaki Forest is miles from anywhere, and yet when we walked out of the rainforest there were a couple of minibuses of walkers tying up their boots, readying for a walk.  Tourism gets everywhere, but here - because its so low-fi and small in numbers, its generally seen as a good thing

Driving away from the land owned by the Ngati Manawa, I genuinely felt like I was coming back from somewhere incredibly different.  And the contrast was made even stronger when I happened across Te Puia in Rotorua ; a Maori 'cultural attaction' combining spectacular hot springs

demonstrations of Maori crafts such as weaving and carving, a recreated village, wildlife projects and the chance to watch some traditional music and dance.  Intrigued to see how different it would be I paid up and went in, along with several zillion other people.  To be honest, I rather enjoyed the haka and the singing, even if it was quite touristy...

but it did make me think how different, and wonderful, my experience with Maurice had been, at a real Marae, out in vast swathes of empty fields.

On, then, to the Coromandel Peninsula, where I sit now with the most glorious view  - a long, sandy, totally undeveloped beach almost close enough to touch.  I swam this afternoon, with just one other person in the water, the odd wave rolling in, and the mountains in the distance a pale lilac shade of blue.

I think this might just be one of the most idyllic places I've ever been (its called Kuaotunu Bay) - and hey, guess what, its bloody miles from anywhere.  But I'm used to that by now.