samoa #1- Savai'i

Time to start the Samoan adventure! Albums for the two islands, Savai'i and 'Upolu, are to the right. It's been a lifetime dream to go to Samoa, where my dad served in the Peace Corps in '67-'68 (Western Samoa then). Growing up with siapo (tapa - bark cloth prints) in the house and my dad daily (rather nightly) in a lava lava (unisex sarong), I just had to see it for myself. With my sister's cheap winter ticket to New Zealand she could choose a free stopover, so naturally we chose Samoa and I decided to meet her. Though her stopover was only 3 days (she met me on the 11th) I spent a full week and went over to Savai'i (the big island) for the first three days.

I began my journey by boarding a jam-packed 8am holiday weekend ferry from Mulifanua wharf on 'Upolu, just after arriving around 6am Saturday. (Father's Day is a public holiday, with Monday off, and it just happened to be my Sat-Mon weekend in Savai'i.) It's a big struggle just to board, as a crowd like a european soccer mob is funneled down a narrow gauntlet about two-wide with ceiling high metal bars. Once aboard there's not a seat to be found unless you were one of the lucky first 100. I found a cool deck spot to stand the whole way (a slice of heaven compared to the return trip).

Upon arrival, it's another competition to board buses for other parts of island. I spotted the one I would go for from the ferry deck and joined the mob, working my way toward the front this time. I landed a spot on a bus to Manase on the north coast. I was travelling without reservations for the week, so just hoped for the best, seeing that Manase had a few fale options (rows of huts on the beach - Samoa's budget accomodation, but truly the BEST).

Samoa's buses are colorful old clunkers with wooden seats and blast Samoan pop music over big speakers on the boa-bordered dashboard. It makes the whole bus vibrate (drowning out the sound of the struggling motor) and they don't leave until they're abosolutely packed. Locals give up their seats for foreigners and everyone and their luggage is piled high on laps - four to a seat and dozens in the aisles. This is how we rode for the 1.5 hours to Manase! (yes, that's my forehead, I threw up the camera to sneak a quick shot)

I arrived in beautiful Manase before lunch and settled into my fale (check out the album for details). This was my favorite village, as the fales I stayed at were right in the middle of town and I met a bunch of locals on Father's day when I went to the special service and celebration at the church. 

I was even gifted my own lolly necklace, which I will pass on to my dad. I enjoyed ice cream at the big community dining fale before heading back to Salelologa the next day. Dinner and breakfast were included with my fale fee ($28/night), so I met the other guests, mostly kiwi + one aussie I would run into later in Apia. We had a great time, consumed plenty of Vailima (Samoa's "very own beer") and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the family running the fales. Sleeping in a fale is a dream, with the breeze filtering through the woven coconut-palm-frond blinds, which you raise and lower to your liking. I needed a week at this place alone, but alas, moved on.

Though no bus ever came on the holiday (locals thought ONE would come, at least to meet the ferry), I managed to flag down a passing van and tag on to a resort transfer back to the port of Salelologa. Chris, the driver, dropped me at Lusia's Lagoon fales after letting the ferry folks go and asked if I'd come with him to Afu-A-Au falls, his usual Sunday swim. (He tells his boss he's taking the long way around the island back and goes swimming instead every week.) I agreed and he picked me up a half hour later. We stopped at the fale at the head of the road to the falls where you usually pay a small admission fee (villages collect this because it's their property). But the guys in the fale let us know it was a new rule not to swim there on Sundays -- it's a special place and it was believed swimming there on Sundays caused the 2009 tsunami. The younger boys at the fale offered to show us another swimming hole down the road (a less influential spot, I guess), so they jumped in the van, and off I went to swim in some unknown jungle location with 3 strange Samoan boys.

Chris dropped me at Lusia's lagoon afterwards (but not before asking if I wanted a Samoan boyfriend). We'd discovered his SJC tatoo - the high school where my dad taught: St Joseph's College (St Jo's), so that was a fun connection. Lusia's had amazing fales on stilts over water, 'loosely' constructed with driftwood. I enjoyed stargazing from my deck (Perseid meteor shower) and a fantastic sunrise. That's the ferry coming to whisk me back to 'Upolu. . . but not before one last magical day on Savai'i!

On my final day I decided to climb Pulemelei Mound (aka Tia Sue ancient mound, but locals just call it the pyramid). It's the largest ancient platform structure in Polynesia - use unknown (view from on top - L). Continuing my taxi friendships, the driver who quoted 60 tala said, "for you, 20" when I got out. I credit our chat -- I got in the habit of sitting in the front seat and striking up good conversation with drivers, usually mentioning Dad and trying to pull out their expertise about the island (or learning they used to play rugby for auckland). An old plantation road forms 1/2 of the 3km track to the pyramid, then there's a bit a bush-whacking. A couple signs ensure you stay on track and a smart sign under a coconut tree warns not to linger in the shade (unless you want a big headache).-it just says WATCH OUT!

On the hike out I got to the stream crossing and noticed a guy with a machete on the other side. I walked up and talked to him, hoping that wasn't his method of collecting the admission to the pyramid (I had the tip to pay at Afu-A-Au falls fale, if anywhere). So, I kept the conversation to coconuts and left him, promising to give the guys at the fale some tala. That was just down the road. I greeted the guys at the fale (same ones from the day before) and started walking up a long road to the falls (now open - not Sunday).

This is the magical Afu-A-Au (aka Olemoe) Falls. Had a wonderful swim, jumped off that 10-ft rock you see at the right (all objects are larger than they appear), and thoroughly enjoyed floating about. Around noon I thought I'd better make tracks toward the ferry, since my "plan" was to catch some unidentified bus (hopefully existent, though), then pack up and walk to the port from the lagoon fales.

When I got out to the main road I lucked out and a bus came within 5 min. I hopped on and was soon offered the front seat between the driver and an older gentleman. We cruised down the road to the blasting tunes and I asked if I could be dropped at Lusia's after he unloaded at the ferry. He promised to, but we loitered at the ferry terminal forever, talking to his local friends, making change, buying food. Of course this was all fine with me when he jumped on the bus with a coconut for me with a straw in it - ah, lunch! Fresh coconut milk is divine! (note his strawless method, above, not to mention bus decorations)

I made it back to Lusia's with just enough time to throw my stuff in my pack and walk to the ferry (and take a pic with my new friends, coconut in hand - R). It was a madhouse - even more crowded than the way over. I waited for the masses to board before making my way down the gauntlet with my pack. But then the gates shut! (So this is why they push their way on.) I continued my laid-back approach to the trip and resolved to take the small ferry at 4pm. Soon after I sat down they reopened the gates (apparenly there is no limit to how many people they will take) and I got on. It was sweltering until we shoved off, almost an hour later. I found a small patch of floor in an aisle to sit on -- all seats and floor space were filled to the max. A woman named Sina shared her fan with me and during the crossing offered to take me home with her in Apia! Samoans are very open about inviting strangers into their home at no charge. I totally would have gone, but I had already confused the hostel in town so much (cancelling my first night, then rebooking to this night), I thought I'd better make good on my paid room (my only reservation since originally I was to arrive at 1am). Also, it was the meeting place for my sister and a bit late to change that with her already en route.

Sina was great, though, and got us on a packed bus to Apia no problem (I probably wouldn't have attempted it with all the people already hanging out the windows for lack of space). I was even allowed further back on the bus with a local pulling me along. Quite fun! She got off well before me, so it probably was wise not to be that far out of town.

That's it for Savai'i! 'Upolu adventures continue in next post . . .

northland

Just returned from a drenched few days in Northland (the arm of the north island stretching northwest from Auckland). I tacked on a couple days ahead of an Auckland conference and rented a car just to see how far north I could get. Though it had to be the wettest week ever, it aided me in making it all the way to Cape Reinga, not being distracted by dry sunny beaches along the way that are the culprit of the wayward vacationer to these parts.

This is Cape Reinga at the north tip of the north island where the Tasman Sea meets the south Pacific Ocean in a flurry of crashing waves and currents. There's even a color change in the water, not discernible above in my wind and water-soaked photo. Obviously I was the only one crazy enough to venture down the path to the lighthouse on the cape in this storm so had to take my own photo. But this became the theme of my loop north -- getting everything to myself (thanks to the foul weather). I drove up the east coast and down the west coast - weaving through ancient kauri forests and small coastal towns.

On the way north I was sure to hold it until Kawakawa, so I could have the privilege of relieving myself in the Hundertwasser toilets. Wow, it's been almost 20 years since seeing my first Hundertwasser in Germany -- I hadn't realized he passed much of his late life in New Zealand (1973-2000).

I did get a few hours of dry weather on the east coast. I hiked to the top of the hill in Matauri Bay where the memorial to the Rainbow Warrior stands (and had it all to myself). After the unrepairable damage from French secret service explosives that rocked the ship 25 years ago, it was decided to sink the vessel off a remote section of Northland coast, where it now provides a rich marine reef environment + popular dive site. 

Other sites on the east coast I explored: Waitangi (Bay of Islands + Treaty of Waitangi site), Matai Beach (Karikari Peninsula, where much of The Piano was filmed), and a good loop of being lost somewhere south of Whangarei. Occasional cows in the road slowed my journey to the northern tip a bit, but between that and the occasional rain-washed landslide into the road, I wasn't taking the driving too quickly anyway (though I am now an accomplished left-side driver). Below is the beach where I had my own personal landslide down a muddy path - change of clothes #1, day #1.

Not only was I drenched and disheveled outside the car, I also had my own personal interior waterfall when I pulled over in Omapere to take a photo of the enormous sand dunes across the harbour. A car whizzed by, plowing through a swimming pool-sized puddle next to my car and sent an ocean wave inside, soaking me (and everything in the front seat) completely. After an hour of nearly drying off, I got to the Waipoua Kauri Forest and soaked myself again hiking to the Kauri trees. But, I got these giants all to myself! Below is Te Matua Ngahere (the Father of the Forest) weighing in with a 16.4m girth - the widest living Kauri. He's not as tall as Tane Mahuta (51m), the 1,200-2,000-year-old Kauri regarded as the forest god, but Te Matua Ngahere seems in better health. These are very sensitive trees with shallow roots and these native forests have a rough road ahead with the many invasive species threatening their destruction.

I stayed in Kohukohu on the west coast my second night (after dropping in on a GP and nurse from Klamath Falls, OR in Kaitaia, north of Kohukohu). Kohukohu is on the Hokianga Harbour and retains many of the buildings of the early Pakeha settlement. My hostel was literally a tree house just out of town. It was fantastic -- got the whole 'dorm' building to myself, kitchen upstairs, outdoor bathrooms below. I started the next day bright & early, catching the car ferry across Hokianga Harbour. I took the indoor car wash soon after that, but did reward myself with a flat white to try to start the day off right again!

Other gems along the way were a few nifty museums: Scottish settlers at Waipu, the Dargaville Museum with it's amazing accordion collection and 25th anniversary tribute to the Rainbow Warrior, and the Kauri Museum with stories of ancient swamp kauri, gumdiggers and a crazy amount and variety of kauri gum objects.

Okay, I've squeezed as much as I can out of that accordion. I'm now on my way to Samoa for the week, where I will meet my sister Wednesday and we'll begin our adventure . . . will try my best to blog on the road!

all blacks, all whites, tall blacks, small whites

Heather's New Zealand sports primer:

All Blacks = the national rugby team you've all heard of

All Whites = the national soccer team you've now all heard of (and the ONLY undefeated team in the 2010 World Cup) 

Tall Blacks = the national basketball team

Small Whites = youth soccer, organized by New Zealand Football

Rugby Sevens = tournament of rugby games with 7-man teams (known as the biggest 2-day party in Wellington of the year) - now an official Olympic sport, premiering in 2016.

Super 14 (now Super 15), however, does not refer to number of players, rather the number of teams in this rugby union (largest union competition in southern hemisphere).

Silver Ferns = national net ball team. Seems you have to be a guy to be part of the black/white thing?  (net ball is a women's sport kinda like basketball without a backboard, if you've never seen it - very popular in the southern hemisphere)
But Black Sticks, is the name of both men's and women's field hockey teams, so things must be changing . . .

Last night I went to the All Blacks match vs. South Africa (world champions) -- just the second 'test' match in the Tri Nations tournament (NZ, South Africa & Australia). We played S.Africa in Auckland last week and with the dirty play by the Springboks (nasty head butting), the Wellington game this week had some wild anticipation of retaliation by the Boks. I was glad to have a ticket (I bought the cheapest one several weeks ago), as it was a packed house as Westpac Stadium. We creamed them again, so it's a great start to the tournament, and wind up for the rugby World Cup in NZ in 2011. Somehow I lucked out with a 7th-row seat right by the team entrance. Fantastic seeing the All Blacks haka live and a couple tries right in front of me at the corner of the NZ tryline.
 

So I guess this country is just in the habit of beating world champions this year! Speaking of the new world champions (in soccer), Spain, we used some paul-the-octopus logic last week at quiz night. My team couldn't come up with a name and just decided to be 'Spain' and we ended up winning! (definitely a step up from my second-to-last-place finish at the last quiz night I participated in)  Coincidentally, the prize came with a picture of the soccer world cup trophy with our quiz night inscribed on it -- meant to be.

Well it hasn't been all about competition lately, just the last 3 days. I'm busy planning the Samoa trip with my sister (or rather not planning it, as we just plan to hop local buses and stay in fales wherever we think looks good). I'll be attending a conference in Auckland with my Te Papa supervisor the first week in August, then straight to Samoa from there. Good news that I have a job when I come back from my 3-week vacation with sis. The college of GPs has created a job to keep me until the end of my stay in NZ! They are a really fun bunch, so I'm happy not to have to leave them for good in 2 weeks.

Next weekend my choir (Kapiti Chamber Choir) performs Handel's Dixit Dominus in Wellington Cathedral (among other works, including Moses Hogan where yours truly taught them how to move like a gospel choir). We rehearsed there yesterday -- hadn't been inside since I sang there with the St Olaf Choir in 1997! Great organ + that lovely cathedral 10-second return on sound. Should be fun next week . . .

Since that reminds me that I heard the Three Pacific Tenors sing at the opening of the All Blacks game (above, singing national anthem), I'll leave you with some warm up shots of our favorite rugby team. Don't try this at home! 

 

(Okay, Sarah, you can practice if you want.)

just the 4th of july

No independence day festivities to report in wellywood -- just a great walk on the beach in full sunshine this morning. It was one of those days where you can see the cliffs and mountains of the south island across cook strait crisp and clear. My friends Leeann and Cat are sailing to the sounds today and invited me along for the 2-week holiday back at port ligar (it's "winter" holidays for school now), but I need to stay here and work to save $$ for samoa next month.

This week my grandpa Archie died, so it's been difficult sending all the hugs over the phone lines, but I'm thankful for skype and cheap calling cards that can keep my family so connected. You can honor Archie this weekend by going to a garage sale and offering "2 bucks" for something (well, everything, in Archie's case) or quoting him saying, "I don't know what it is, but it's the best one I ever saw." Here's a pic of Archie, Norma, me & my sis in '05. 

I've been keeping pretty busy w/work/music/etc. Already finished 6 weeks at the Royal College of GPs as the Southern Regional Coordinator and they start me on a new project this week (though my temp stint there was supposed to end, they found another project to keep me). Te Papa work this week included attending one of our off-site workshops. We traveled up to Otaki to present a taonga conservation workshop, bringing Te Papa conservator Rangi Te Kanawa, who is the only Maori textile conservator in the world. It was facsinating, though I only attended one day. Our iwi hosts provided heaps of kai (food) and it fueled great discussions!

I had a fun Alaska coincidence at Te Papa a week or so ago. I was in the library doing some research and overheard a school group presentation on volcanoes... I perked up when the guy mentioned Redoubt and a recent trip to Alaska + collaboration with AVO. I caught him afterward and, sure enough, he'd been to Homer in May, met plenty of my peeps and is still in contact with Elizabeth W (Pratt ranger extraordinaire). Small world. If you want to learn about AVO's counterpart in NZ and our exciting geologic behavior, check out GNS Science (a partner w/Te Papa) and their GeoNet link (recent seismic activity).

But the AK coincidences didn't stop there. The same week I was up at Paraparaumu singing a choir concert and a guy from the US Embassy attended. Turns out he's from Anchorage (there's probably only 3 Foreign Service Officers in the world from Alaska, if that). Conversation turned to lamenting the fact that FSOs and Peace Corps staff can't get Alaska's PFD, whereas US military can. Seems like anyone serving our country abroad for peace should be eligible, especially when they don't claim any other state as their residence. Military working stateside, on the other hand, own homes in other states, live very much as residents of other states, and still collect PFD. Not saying they shouldn't, but it seems discriminatory not to allow Alaskans in other branches of US service abroad. Oh well. I'll eat the sacrifice and stick it out for the PC Country Director position.

The news on that front is a return in October for final DC interview w/Director's Office, then back to AK to work until they offer me a country (12 months into the process now and I fear it could go to 24). Timing is a little bit of a bummer, as I'd really like to stay here through the end of the year. Had an invitation to present at the National Digital Forum conference @Te Papa later in Oct, and that will likely be where we get a larger forum together for the taonga database project I've been working on. Definitely hard to depart just before that opportunity, but I've taken the last possible date for the final PC interview. I am, however, excited to have time in AK before the unknown date of Peace Corps placement. Certainly if their process pushes 24 months it will be hard to keep me interested . . . it is still something I very much want to do, though. I'll be visiting the Samoa post next month to get a taste of the real job . . . happily their Country Director is in and willing to meet with me.

And on that note, I'm dreaming of my Samoa week in August, looking forward to my sister joining me there and our 2 weeks roundabout NZ. Sistas beggs take on the south pacific...

Have a flash Independence Day! I was going to celebrate our freedom from the British colonial yoke by inviting a Brit couple over for dinner, but they had to cancel. So please eat a burger and down a beer for me at your 4th of July barbie!

New Zealand shocks the world!

How about our boys humbling Italy Sunday at the World Cup in South Africa? They're calling it the biggest shock so far at the 2010 World Cup (and it's definitely NZ's best soccer result ever). Ranked 78th in the world, the New Zealand All Whites managed to hold Italy, the defending world champs! And we're happy to take the draw (1-1) in spite of the bad ref call that allowed Italy's penalty kick goal (whereas our goal was perfect). 

This is only NZ's second World Cup ever for soccer (we're a rugby nation) and there's only 25 professional players in the whole country. (Some of our boys are bankers by day, not making the $100,000 per week soccer salary the Italians manage, for example.) Well, the All Whites sure stole the headlines from the All Blacks today! The match was actually at 2-4am NZ time, so I set the alarm just in case we had an historic moment -- and we did! (nevermind I about knocked myself out in the dark, bashing my head on a wall corner on my way to the living room -- I bounced away and did another header on the opposite wall -- that knocked me flat!) Definitely hard to get back to sleep after that match . . . and the revelling continued all morning -- on the news, at work, on the streets. Fun day to be in New Zealand!

Sorry if you're not a soccer fan, but this is big! I suppose I should report other news, like it was over 60 today, on WINTER solstice (perhaps warmer than Homer's summer solstice, we'll see when they hit June 21st -- our day is almost over). I was outside on my lunch break, making a Father's Day call to my grandpa, sitting in the sun, gazing out at the harbor, jacket-less -- that's a new one for winter solstice.

Fantastic tapa cloth exhibit opened at Te Papa this week: PaperSkin. I participated in the blessing (staff only, before public opening of all exhibits) and went in for a curator talk on Samoan siapo -- interesting since we always had them hanging in our home growing up from my dad's peace corps days in Samoa. One fijian piece is almost 23 meters long and it's the first time it has been displayed since it's creation. The musical soundscape developed for the exhibit is pretty cool too. Other than that, I went planting native cabbage trees with a conservation group last weekend -- got to do some wetland planting too. I don't know how those little guys don't just float away . . .

Well, that's about it for the last couple weeks other than the highs and lows of being away from home . . . enjoyed a great skype chat with my Homer marimba band, Tamba Hadzi, after their performance at the Kenai River Festival. I'll spare them by not posting the snapshot I took! Here's a better one from last year's Seward Music Fest:

 

Miss you girls!

Matariki - Happy New Year!

 

The Māori new year began this morning with my 4am alarm to get me to the 5am train for the 5:45 beginning of festivities at Te Papa. A Matariki ceremony, staff breakfast and performances were all part of the 3-hour PARTY. I feel pretty honored to have been part of this this staff-only event . . . and what a brilliant morning it was!
  
Matariki is the name for the Pleiades star cluster (aka Seven Sisters), that signifies the Māori New Year, June 10 (and other seasonal celebrations worldwide). Coincidentally, the name is Subaru in Japanese and it's part of the constellation Taurus, so I'm clearly connected by my only two owned vehicles in life. Now you see why we started at 6am -- gotta see the stars for this one! 

The ceremony began with taonga pūoro (traditional instruments) and a procession around the Marae to bless the seven taonga (treasures) on display from collections. We then processed outside to the Pūwhara deck area where again pūoro (music: instruments & voice) introduced the karanga (call) and karakia (prayers). It was sure windy, but no rain and plenty of stars peeking through the clouds. Hearing the chants welcoming Matariki from the roof of Te Papa with a huge group of staff in the dark was pretty awesome. 

I work with Tracy (#2), Kylie (#4) and Jade (#5 from the left)

Kylie is my supervisor and Tracy is the boss - clearly here!

Sufficiently frozen (well, not the Alaskan) and wind-blown (Alaskan included), we processed back inside and were served an excellent breakfast. The acting CEO/Kaihautū (Māori leader) served us personally as part of the wait staff. A curator spoke about the seven taonga and then a wild party of staff performances (mostly karaoke) was kicked off and didn't end until 9am. From the new moon, to full sunshine illuminating a singer just as he broke into his grand finale of My Way, to a misty rain moving on to a glorious day, it was a New Year celebration full of signs and Haumanu (revival). Wish you could've been there!

 

Our staff waiata (singing group) closed the ceremony with Te Hokinga Mai, a popular song written to welcome the taonga home in 1986 after the Te Māori exhibition at the Met. Then, it was performed by the Pakipaki elementary school children (video below) -- we did much of the same choreography this morning. Matariki festivities continue until June 27 and we'll sing tomorrow at the powhiri (welcome) ceremony for the Kaumātua Kapa Haka (elders' performance).

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Te Hokinga Mai - by Te Taite Cooper and Father Mariu