Greetings from Kiwi Land!

We arrived in Aukland, on the north island, on Wednesday and have been on the move ever since.  Our first impressions of New Zealand are of the spectacular green, rolling farmlands and cool, wet weather.

  

Kiwi bird

One of our first activities was a visit to the War  Memorial Museum which houses the largest collection of Polynesian artifacts in the world.

The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand who arrived in the area between 1250-1300 A.D. Their warrior culture was thriving when Europeans began arriving in the 17th century.

After leaving  the museum, we spent time with Prince, a member of the local Maori tribe, and his wife who told us about some of their customs and modern-day challenges and served us golden kiwi and other snacks.  The kiwi was much sweeter than the ones we're used to. 

The traditional greeting is to touch noses twice.