My host family in Wellington, The Goulds, have been nothing short of spectacular - I relly feel like I have been welcomed to New Zealand with open arms and have been made to feel part of their family.
From left to right we have George and Phillippa ("Pip") Knight, the Gould's 7 month old grandson and daughter who are visiting from London, and then Janine and Nigel Gould with a view of Wellington behind them. This picture was taken atop Mount Victoria overlooking Wellington Harbor. They have all been so helpful to me in getting my bearings around the city and recovering from jet-lag, as well as providing a wealth of information about art, history and culture of the area.P.S. - George is the only baby who hasn't screamed in terror from the mere sight of me! He must like the silly American!
Kapiti Wildlife Preserve
There is an electronic fence around a hill in Kapiti, the largest suberb of Wellington, that was once used as a resevoir area, but is now used as a wildlife preserve, especially for birds.
The fence is used to keep predators out so that birds that were once on their way to extinction have a safe place to nest. Photos of the birds,especially the quickly flitting about Fantail, were difficult to impossible, but the unfurling fern frond kept still for me. The unfurling frond in spiral form is called "koru" by the Maori and it symbolizes new growth, peace and potential.
Te Papa
During my visit to the Te Papa museum which houses cultural and pop-cultural exhibits, I was fortunate enough to meet with Kupapa Tirikatene, "Ku" for short, the Maori Tribal Leader in residence who presides over the current Maori exhibition. He is the elder of the only tribe that the British have actually apologized to for placing claim on their native lands.
He was a gracious host took the time to inform me about Maori carving especially pertaining to Marae (meeting houses), Waka (canoes) and ponamu (greenstone) objects. He shared personal anecdotes with me about why some symbols are important in Maori carving, just barely scratching the surface, I'm sure.This photo is a detail of a Marae. See the little notches carved all around? Ku told me a story about how the ancients would cut down large trees. They did not have big sharp tools, so they would rig up a rope with a greenstone "blade" that would pivit and swing from above. The string was pulled and released to hit the tree... pulled and released to hit the tree... pulled and released to hit the tree... pulled and released to hit the tree... This would make a tiny notch in the tree until it finally fell. The notches, therefore, signify persistance. The more notches, the more persistance and the better the carving is regarded.
First Mate HelenNext stop - The America's Cup! Its true - I helped sail Janine & Nigel's yacht "Soulmate" back in to Wellington from a beautiful picnic out in the middle of the harbor next to Wellington's equivalent of Alcatraz Island without the rip current. I was glad when we turned about to sail back - I was getting a little worried they were going to send me to Exile Island! ;-)
