The Maori people originally immigrated to New Zealand from Polynesia around 1300 AD. These first inhabitants initially found food easy to come by – plenty of fish, an abundance of seals, and a countryside full of big, heavy flightless birds. With an increasing human population and the extinction of several native birds due to over-hunting, things began to change. The Maori reverted to farming. Land meant survival for the various tribes and the Maori began to fight for it.
The arrival of European settlers meant even more change, and by the 1830s, Western Civilization brought guns, whiskey and diseases to the Maori. European settlers purchased or seized tribal farmlands and their traditional culture started to crumble. Population numbers dropped from 120,000 in 1769, to only 42,000 Maoris in 1896.
At the turn of the 20th century, the population numbers began to recover as Maori health improved. When race relations looked their bleakest, the Maori began to organize and see a better deal with the white man. Legislative action and a booming economy led to higher employment and increased spending on health, housing and education. Maori moved into the cities and assimilated so effectively that they lost more and more of their language and traditions.
In the late 1960s, a new Maori voice called for a revival in Maori culture. Many old grievances have now been addressed by the government and more Maori are learning the language and returning to their native villages. New Zealand is not a perfect picture of racial harmony, but overall relations between white and non-white communities are good. Perhaps it IS possible that historical grievances can be worked out sensibly and that people of different backgrounds can live together in harmony and respect.
Inside the museum, we visited the Maori Treasures Gallery. There was an 80-foot war canoe chiseled from one enormous totara tree trunk and covered with intricate carvings. The same artistry was reflected in the 85-foot meeting house, which had carved and painted walls and rafters. There were lots of other interesting items such as greenstone weapons, tools and feather cloaks - and a few locals in native costume.
We walked back to town and stopped at a little Italian cafe for a nice lunch. We walked on to the harbor and checked out the local, very big supermarket. We discovered a few more types of cookies to try.
Finally it was time for the long-awaited harbor cruise, on a beautiful catamaran sailboat named the 'Pride of Auckland.' After tea/coffee/cocoa, our vessel headed out into the harbor, past multi-million sailboats to admire the Auckland skyline.
We saw bridge climbers crossing the harbor bridge and a crazy man bungee-jumping off the same bridge.
Several members of our group took a turn at steering the boat - not as easy as it looks with a couple of sails moving from one side to the other as we tacked across the wind. Even so, it was a smooth ride enjoyed by all.
