Utu is a Maori word. If asked, I would have defined utu as revenge for wrong doings. I’m sort of right, but when I double-checked the definition, I discovered it means much more. According the the NZ History site, utu is maintaining the balance and harmony within...
I was brought up hearing tales from Maori mythology. Everyone in New Zealand knows of Maui who fished our country from the sea. One particular beast from the legends has always fascinated me, and that’s the taniwha. The taniwha (pronounced tan-e-fa) is a Maori...
The haka is a Maori war dance or a challenge, which is performed by males. The word haka actually means dance and in the past, women used to take part too. These days, many of our sports teams do the haka. The All Blacks, our rugby team, do the haka before each game...
The fantail or piwakawaka is one of our native birds. This year we’ve seen quite a few in our garden and also while we’ve been walking Bella. They’re tiny birds with a tail that fans out—as their name suggests—and they live on a diet of insects. They like to follow...
Maori carvings tell a story, and we have a form of totem pole, called pou or pouwhenua here in New Zealand. They’re like carved poles and were used by the Maori to mark boundaries. Mr Munro snapped photos of these pou up at Paihia in the north of the North Island. I’m...
I enjoy some of the Maori myths and legends. This one, telling of Maui and the birth of New Zealand, is one of my favorites. As with all legends, there are a few variations. Maui was a demi-god who possessed magical powers. Not all his family knew of his magical...
