NZ Wrap Up: The Finale!
So for the final installment of our New Zealand adventure I will close with some random pics of people, places and NZ culture. Enjoy:
Maori culture is huge in New Zealand and people flock from around the world to get a taste of it. I myself had not experience it till now and it’s amazing!
The boat these young lads are in is called a Waka. This one, I believe, is a war canoe. Filled in it are brave warriors who do a fierce song and ceremony while waving their oars in sync. Their oars are hand carved as well as the boat which is made from a single hollowed out tree trunk. This one is a small one with around 10 men, the large ones stretched out 40 metres (130 feet) and could accommodate 80 paddlers. The water they’re in is some of the purest in New Zealand driven from high pressure geothermal activity from deep in the earth. You can stick your hand in have a sip and the quality is higher than ANYTHING you can by in a bottle.
If you were seen as a potential threat the Maori warriors would gather and do the war Haka. It is one of the many types of Haka dances and was used to intimidate their potential aggressors. When they stick out their tongues they mean business, in fact they mean to eat you. Seriously! Maori history is well documented with tribes eating rival tribes and unwelcome visitors.
Don’t think for a second that the lady Maori’s need protecting by their men. They can hold their own like this lady is demonstrating. If the look doesn’t kill you her fists of female fury sure will. The ball she is swinging is called a ‘poi’ which was originally used by men to strengthen there wrists and practice co-ordiantion for using a short club. Later poi were adopted by women and used for entertainment and dance.
One of the last things I did on my trip was go on a booze cruise around Auckland city. This spot is undeniably spectacular as evening creeps in. It’s the Auckland Museum in the Auckland Domain. A great big space of lushes green to take in a delicious beverage while you see the old building glow on the backdrop of midnight blue steadily growing darker.
Same night, Player P getting his creep on. Lady’s beware, when you see this thousand yard stare you might be in for a pouncing like a lion taking down a gazelle. You’ve been warned!
Another New Zealand legend, Brian or preferably B-Man. He has a ridiculous base of knowledge for bikes and is in a league of his own on the tools. He also has a gift for anything electronic and will blow your mind into another dimension when he lectures you on time travel. Make sure you check out the B-man at T-White’s bikes or on any decent booze cruise if you’re in that neck of the world.
This is one of my favourite shots. It reminds of the Hobbit village in lord of the rings. Minus, of course, the fluorescent light trail which was made by some young barefoot hooligans who strapped LED lights to the spokes of their bikes. The town is in Tutukaka a few hours north of Auckland, a beautiful beach town on the east coast famous for it’s proximity to one of the most renown game fishing spots in the world. I once saw a Mako shark being hauled onto a boat there.
This spot was awesome. It’s in Thames and as you can plainly see it’s a workingmen’s club. I thought I might spend the rest of my time there ‘working’ on beer belly. Unfortunately it was closed that day but it’s nice to know there’s a place for hard working fells to retreat to after the long haul, the daily grind, the old earning a bit o’ bread n’ butter!
Well that’s it for my NZ adventure. From here on we will be focusing on some North American content unless of course immigration gets hold of me but for now I’m looking good! See you soon with a bmx filled post.