Landing, arriving, reclaiming the bags, hiring the car, finding the house, locating some food, enjoying the view, taking a fitness run down the coast: these were the easy parts. Oh, and overcoming jet-lag that felt remarkably like a hang-over. Curious.
Come the first Monday I'm ready to start on the meticulously-planned get-you-in package arranged by the museum: First call - rightly - the Marae - the sacred open meeting area, generally situated in front of the "whare runanga", communal meeting house, is the area of greatest mana (distinction, integrity and standing), the place of greatest spirituality ; the place that heightens people's dignity, and the place in which Māori customs are given ultimate expression. In this case, my call is to the Marae in Orakei, home of the Ngati Whatua.
I am accompanied by Haare Williams and Jessa Cochrane; we are made warmly welcome and we sing: "No Tamaki matau (We are of Auckland) ... Ma te aroha (With love that takes away fear) ...Ka ore e (Ah, tis life (we live))". We exchange greetings and signs of peace by briefly touching noses (the hongi); and we discuss the 1000 years of the story of New Zealand's people; the role of the museum as a place for everyone to find themselves; and we consider the whakapapa (genealogy and the oral histories handed down) and taonga (prized and protected items ('treasure') of sacred significance).
A modern museum has to consider how material culture can be managed, presented, interpreted and shared in ways that respect Maori traditions and values, while at the same time working within the recognised codes of ethics and propriety that are applied internationally. There are no easy ways to do this. It’s been a thought-provoking first day.
Tomorrow we travel towards Rotorua .... along the way to meet King Tuheitia in the parliament building, Turangawaewae House.
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