Experience Māori culture at Lake Karapiro
Visitors at the 2010 World Rowing Championships will get an authentic taste of one of New Zealand’s most significant Māori cultural and historic regions - all without leaving Lake Karapiro’s shores.
From the opening ceremony when majestic war canoes or waka make a rare appearance on Lake Karapiro, through to a traditional Māori welcome ceremony and an on-site marae - the importance of the Waipa region in shaping New Zealand history will be very apparent.
Experience Māori
Ngati Koroki-Kahukura and Ngati Haua - the mana whenua / local people and spiritual guardians of the Karapiro part of the Waikato River and co-hosts of the world championships have created an ‘Experience Māori Arena’ at the venue to share their culture with visitors.
Hundreds of volunteers from local iwi / tribes will be part of the experience - running on-site guided tours telling stories about Karapiro’s history and how it got its name, as well as the history of Maungatautari mountain, the significance of the Waikato river, and sharing aspects of Māori culture, food and arts and crafts.
While an Aotearoa New Zealand Māori experience is available on some marae / Māori meeting grounds throughout the country, the idea of bringing the marae to the World Championships venue is an innovation.
Experience Māori’s Lee-Ann Sperling-Muntz says that as well as offering a practical solution because of access to the rowing event, the project is a taster for the coming 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
She says local iwi want to provide an experience that gives people a better understanding of the whanau / family, the place and the history - with interactive experiences.
Hikoi or guided tours
Tribal members will lead hikoi or guided tours of the Karapiro site sharing experiences and stories that have been passed down through generations.
They will discuss traditional life on the banks of the Waikato river, the ancestral mountain Maungatautari that dominates the Lake Karapiro site, and share stories of the significant historical events that took place in the immediate vicinity of the Karapiro Domain - scene of some fierce Māori battles.
Sperling-Muntz says there will be stories of heroes and villains, of battles and significant journeys along with the history of settlements such as the one that lies beneath Lake Karapiro’s waters.
As well as visiting icons such as Te Waharoa carved gateway and artwork that adorns the walls and ceiling of Te Manawa o Matariki, the cultural heart of the Don Rowlands Centre, the tour will also visit the fleet of waka tauā war canoes that will feature in the opening and closing ceremonies.
Powhiri / Māori welcome
Visitors will be welcomed to the Māori arena with a traditional powhiri welcome. The powhiri creates a spiritual pathway for the visitors’ ancestors and those of the tangata whenua / people of the land to join together in the ceremonial welcome.
New Māori concert group Taumatawiiwii - formed for the World Rowing Championships - will perform kapa haka / Māori performing arts with traditional and contemporary waiata / songs and dances, including poi and haka.
The Taumatawiiwii group is made up of descendants of Ngāti Hauā and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and will tell local stories through kapa haka.
Māori arts and crafts
The Experience Māori arena also offers visitors the chance to try Māori arts and crafts such as weaving, carving and tā moko / tattoo and to learn a waiata-ā-ringa / action song or haka.
A range of authentic Māori taonga / treasured pieces of art will be on display and for sale, including carved whale bone and greenstone pieces, contemporary jewellery and adornments, and Māori-themed clothing.
The Māori experience will also include tasting traditional Māori hangi - food cooked in an earth oven. Hāngi meals will be cooked at the local Maungatautari marae, and delivered to the rowing venue for purchase.
Visitors will be able to buy a package that includes the hangi, guided tour and cultural performance.
More information
Powhiri - the Maori welcome
Kapa Haka - Maori performing arts
Ta Moko
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