Day 26: The Haka!

Today dawned bright and early, with daylight coming through my window around 5:30am. I rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, but I found it hard. Not because of the sun, but more because I could tell I was beginning to fall under the weather. The bed was really soft, but despite its comfort I had little head support and the drainage I had during the night found its way into my lungs. On the whole I didn't feel too bad, but drainage is not a fun element to deal with.

I got up and took a shower around 7:00am and then went down to catch some of the continental breakfast the hotel provides. (Sweet deal!) The food is actually fairly tasty here and I was pleased with my meal of cereal, orange juice, and toast with strawberry jam. I had a cappuccino from the coffee maker (this thing makes about 8 drinks with the simple press of a button) to top off the meal, hoping to get a caffeine kick to help wake me up.

The original plans for the day included climbing Mt. Eden, but as the early morning hours progressed, fog set in which eventually gave way to a light misty rainfall. Definitely not the best morning to climb a volcano to get a cool view of the city. Instead, we decided to go back to the Maori Museum and get a glimpse of the cultural aspect of New Zealand.

We walked over to the museum as we had the night before, but this time there was not a bunch of folks dressed in tuxedos at the door. The usual tourists seemed to be flooding the place, so we fit in quite well. We waited in the lobby and enjoyed the interior architecture of the museum while Anoop waited in line to purchase tickets for the "Maori Experience." After a few minutes Anoop gave everyone a ticket and we proceeded into the holding area to await the show.

Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera along with me, so I don't have any pictures from the show or museum. (Hopefully I can borrow some from another classmate.) Heading into the show I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I could tell that it would be an authentic experience based on how the Maori folks were dressed in their traditional garments. The show lasted about 20-30 minutes and included several live displays of the Maori's traditional songs, dances, and games. I thought everything would have been A Capella, but one of the Maori warriors actually played a guitar for each song and dance. They explained that the European settlers introduced the guitar to the Maori people and it has been a key part of their culture ever since! (A couple hundred years.) The show ended with a live performance of "The Haka" dance, which was absolutely phenomenal. For those who have not heard of this dance, it is the dance the Maori warriors perform just before battle with their opponent. The Maori explained that the Haka is said to be so fierce and intimidating, that it wins the battle before the battle even begins. That explanation couldn't be any truer. As soon as I am able to locate a video shot during the performance, I will post it here.

We left the show and wandered around the museum looking at the carved buildings and long boats of the Maori people. Everything was quite grandeur and I really enjoyed the first-hand experience. The group got a photo with one of the Maori warriors, which was really fun. Some of us tried to stick our tongues out like they did in the Haka dance, but it actually hurt. Jason remarked that he strained his tongue and the warrior grumbled, "It takes practice."

Thoroughly amused, we checked out the gift shop (too expensive for my taste) before leaving the museum. We left to go find a "2 degrees" mobile phone store that would hopefully be open on a Sunday. After a 15 minute walk, we found one and Anoop purchased everyone a SIM cards for everyone to use while in New Zealand. (Vodafone's rates are more expensive here so we had to switch companies.) The rates at 2 degrees are not cheap by any standards and there is no cap at $1 as there is in Australia with Vodafone. Plus, you can't call other 2 degree customers for free. Needless to say my phone will not be used often here. Thankfully the SIM card did work in my phone, so I didn't have to deal with any technical difficulties.

Many of us left in a taxi to find Queens Street to get some food. (Queens Street is the main drag in Auckland.) We ended up not being too far away (about a 10 minute drive) and spent some time walking down the street and looking at the shops and restaurants. We ended up choosing a place that advertised "Best Fish and Chips," but we mainly ate there because it looked like a nice establishment and their menu had reasonably priced items. By this point in the day, I had begun to not feel well, so I settled for a soup (which they claimed to be guacamole based, but you would never guess it) and bread which turned out to be decent and only cost $10.00. After we finished, Reel, Jay, and I headed back to the hotel to meet up with Professor Hein to discuss our thesis topics and their relation to Auckland. Since each of our topics are similar, we met as a group and developed a game plan to find a case study option here in Auckland before we have to leave. (We only have 3 more days here, 5 total!)

After the meeting, I went back to my room and decided to take some medicine and nap. I wanted to knock off this "sick feeling." About 2 hours later I woke up and found Reel in the process of heading downstairs to meet some other folks to go find dinner. I put on my shoes and joined the party. We walked down to Queens Street in search of a place to eat and a grocery store. There were many options, but we chose a place called Nando's. I purchased a quarter chicken and fries with the "hot" sauce. The chicken was tender and juicy, but the "hot" sauce was puny and in my opinion detracted from the taste of the chicken. I also tried a soda unique to New Zealand, L&P. L&P tasted great, but left a weird aftertaste in my mouth. I'm glad I tried it, but Dr. Pepper still has no competition.

We left Nandos in search of a grocery store and eventually found one. I didn't buy anything, but I did enjoy walking around and seeing the different foods for sale. Nothing too different from a grocery store in Texas or Alabama, except it was quite a bit smaller and had no Blue Bell in the freezers. A couple of folks did buy some food and after they checked out, we headed back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, I decided to go ahead and work on the temporary structures assignment for Melbourne. I ended up finishing the assignment and I also managed to post another blog. I realized I hadn't taken any photos today, so I decided to take a few shots of the inside of our room. Here's a look at our digs:

The kitchen

Living Area

Nighttime View from the Balcony

After I finished blogging, I still wasn't feeling all that great and decided to call it a night. Traveling really can wear you down. I eventually fell asleep, hoping tomorrow would bring better health and more fun in Auckland!