A Note From the Road

As of Monday, I will travelling around New Zealand again - this time researching and writing a brand new travel guide, Frommers New Zealand Day by Day 1st Edition. That means I won't have nearly as much time as I would like to devote to this and my other blog -Adrienne Rewi Online - so rather than more detailed posts, this blog will become a lot more photographic - for the duration of my travels at least. I will of course, be gathering masses of new material on the road, as I discover new marae and new people along the way. For instance, I'll be going to Whanganui, New Plymouth, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty on this trip - all places I had to leave out of last year's nationwide journey. So come October, when the manuscript writing is finished, you can expect a whole heap more of my interpretations of interesting new people and places. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy my pictorial journey as I go. www.frommers.com

Crossing the Hokianga

It was a perfect, still, blue-skied, Far North day when I crossed the Hokianga Harbour from Kohukohu to Rawene on May 2 last year. (Approaching Rawene Wharf above).
I caught the ferry in the knick of time - I had been dawdling outside Tauteihiihi Marae at Kohukohu, taking photographs - and as I leapt aboard, I couldn't help noticing the eerie tumble of clouds perfectly reflected in the millpond waters of the harbour.

My experience of Hokianga Harbour and the surrounding landscapes is limited - basically just two trips across on the ferry. But the area is riddled with Maori history and interesting Maori settlements and one day, I hope to spend several weeks in the area, following remote side roads to discover the inner workings of the place. On last year's trip (while researching the 6th edition of Frommers New Zealand), I did manage to see a lot more but I seldom had the time to linger long, or to go too far off the main highway. Like Eastland's Tuhoe country, it's one of the few areas of New Zealand I don't know like the back of my hand and I hanker after the time to them both justice.

Weavers at Work

Te Puia, Rotorua. 2007 Ajr

I love watching Maori weavers at work. There's something quite mesmerising about watching their fingers fly as they deftly weave the strands of harakeke (flax) into often elaborate articles. I was in my element then, at Te Puia in Rotorua, when I visited during my last Frommers New Zealand trip in 2007. They are home to the marvellous New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Insitute, where you can watch art works being created in both the carving and the weaving schools. www.tepuia.com www.frommers.com

A Te Tai Tokerau Experience

Photograph by John Panoho of Navigator Tours, Supplied by Taiamai Tours, Northland.

Every time I update Frommers New Zealand (travel guide) I come upon more and more interesting Maori tourism ventures. One that's been running successfully for some years is the Te Tai Tokerau (Northland - the Tail of the Fish) operation Waka Tai-a-mai Heritage Journeys, which is based in Paihia in the Bay of Islands. You have a number of choices - being taken across the bay in a 50-foot traditional waka (canoe); soaking in geothermal mineral pools alongside Ngapuhi elders; visiting their marae and enjoying a traditional hangi meal and Maori storytelling; and/or a walk through the Waitangi Maori Village with a Ngapuhi guide. It's another fascinating glimpse into the intricately-woven tapestry that is New Zealand Maori culture. www.taiamaitours.co.nz www.frommers.com www.visitnorthland.co.nz/