Monkey bread, Matariki in the Marai and a Medicine Mandala

What a wealth of culture we have seen this weekend all in beautiful Whakatani (fa ka tan ee) courtesy of our friends John and Ruth. This is a view from the headland overlooking the town.

Matariki is the Mauri celebration of mid winter when the constolation Matariki, which we know as the seven sisters or pleiades is visible on the horizon for a few weeks. It marks the time for planting kumara (sweet potato) and celebrating family and remembering those who have passed. We were invited to a local celebration at their fabulously carved and decorated Mauri meeting hall or Marai. There was a super range of singing, guitar, classical piano, hakka and recitation. if any of you have seen Whale Rider, it was just like that!! (no whales though!) Interesting food as well, I loved the smoked eel but the mutton bird (manx shearwater at home!) was just too fishy to take!

 

Ruth and John have a lovely home in a beautiful setting, where we had the delicious orange monkey bread which is a family speciality for Sunday brunch, which the couple who live in the flat below, and amazingly this chap (another John) originally from Penarth was taught geography by the dad of one of our very good friends Hywel - it truely is a small world!

 

 Then we went to a very different Buddhist cultural event where 2 monks had spent 2 weeks making a very intricate medicine buddha Mandala picture out of individually placed grains of sand. This mandala was then blessed by the monks in a long chanting ceremony and then destroyed so that the blessed sand could be put in the river to bring blessings to Whakatane and then flow out into the world. We could only stay for part of the chanting but it was very peaceful. (and different!)

 Other news we now have a car suitable for the off road areas of NZ - a 1999 Honda CRV, so (hopefully) no more disasters! Only 3 weeks till Rhian and Cal come out, can't wait!. Just booked them on a whistle stop tour of the south island with Kiwi Experience, so they will see both North and South.