1 (866) 722-0909
QUOTE REQUEST 
New Zealand
Population & Culture
The myths prevailing in the Polynesian world, of which the Maoris come from, tell how the semi-god Maui would have hooked North Island from the deep blue seas and how his canoe became South Island. Other stories describe the arrival of Kupe, the first Maori, from Hawaiki, a sacred land near Tahiti. He's the one who baptizes the vast territory Aotearoa (-the long white cloud land-). Soon, more men and women join him; the history of New Zealand merges from then on with the Maoris. Historians agree with this hypothesis, setting the big migrations around 1000 AD. Over the centuries, the settlers develop their own social rules and specific forms of art and philosophy. They gather into large families (whanau), and into iwis, tribes whose ancestors may have journeyed on one and only canoe. On a daily basis, the gods and their go-betweens lay down their rules through a complex system of tapu (taboos). Little by little, with the increasing population especially on North Island, several conflicts break out and the Maoris become formidable warriors. A victory means a chance for the leaders to grow their mana, the spiritual power, and to hand it over to their clans. The first European explorers undergo a grim experience when they die torched up on sacrificial bonfires or as cannibalism victims. The Maori arts are shared around the whole Polynesian world, but revamped by the local traditions; chanting, dancing and tattoos. The two latter, closely intricate, are a vehicle to relate ancestors legends and stories, migrations, heroes' past exploits, the power of mana, and even the beauty of landscapes and gods allegories. Typically New Zealander, the haka, now worldwide famous thanks to the All Blacks rugby team, was originally a war dance, also staged to test strangers' reactions and to impress potential enemies. Today, New Zealand is also renowned for its quality vineyards, the open-mindedness of the main cities: Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Napier, and the developing green tourism that takes the best from a vibrant and diverse nature wildlife.
