Fulbright Orientation

Kiwi cape detail with woven flax fringe. Cape on display at Hetet Gallery.

Bow of a waka in the museum next to the Waiwhetū Marae in Lower Hutt.

Fulbright New Zealand hosts a five-day orientation in Wellington at the beginning of the award period for six scholars, ten graduate students, and three Axford fellows. We started the week with a welcome to country ceremony at Waiwhetū Marae in Lower Hutt, across the harbor from downtown Wellington. A marae serves a similar purpose as a church and a community center for the hapu (subtribe) of Māori living nearby.  In preparation for the pōwhiri (welcoming ceremony) and spending 24 hours at the marae, we learned how to pronounce Māori vowels, diphthongs, and common words (e.g. Waiwhetū sounds like why-fetoo: wh=f). No one expected us to understand the extensive greetings and speeches in Māori, but at least we could better appreciate the flow of the words we heard and pick up a few tidbits of meaning. The marae is named after the nearby creek, Waiwhetū, meaning water reflecting starlight. Such a beautiful image and one I could imagine later in the week when the Milky Way was visible but not the night we stayed when we had torrential downpours, promoting the creek to a river.

Marae used to have only carvings to remember ancestors but now they also have pictures of ancestors (right) and Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of many countries including New Zealand.

Everything on the waka was carved so intricately, including these paddle blades.

About 35 beds lined the walls of the marae. Mine has the red cover. Definitely provided a sense of community!

The rising Waiwhetū creek is visible behind this pou whenua.

The sound of rain on the metal roof of the marae appropriately symbolized the solemnity of the ceremony when Māori remember their ancestors with pride and sadness. Although I felt like I was out of place and external to the Māori culture during extended greetings in a language I don’t understand and with remembrances of ancestors whose accomplishments and personalities remain sacred to their descendants, I did feel privileged to be part of the community if only for a couple of days. During our first entry to the marae, we were greeted with the hongi, a surprisingly intimate way to greet visitors with touching of noses. I was relieved it seemed so natural and easy with our hosts, similar to a cheek kiss greeting in many countries. During our practice of the hongi with each other at the Fulbright office, it felt awkward and halting. We also prepared at the office for our ceremonial songs. We practiced two Māori songs and two American songs: This Land is Your Land and The Star-Spangled Banner.

Can you spot the hongi in my favorite ad? The soundtrack is by Of Monsters and Men. I played their album all cruise long last month.

Several years ago, my Tropical Ecology class was asked to sing a song or two in response to the many songs and dances performed for us by a school group on the big island of Savai’i, Samoa. This was a difficult request for us to fulfill. It’s just not part of secular American culture to have common songs and dances that we all know well enough to perform in front of 100s of people (this was pre Gangnam Style). Our performance was forgettable, akin to a Glee number with no one trained in singing or dancing performing Row Your Boat. I’m cringing at the thought even now. Thankfully, our practice for the marae performances paid off and we were pretty good.

Wellington embraces its well-deserved windy reputation.

Nancy, Jon, Mary, and Graham. Former Fulbrighter to Vancouver, WA Graham and Nancy Cochrane hosted Jon and Mary Bray and me at their house for an overnight stay during the orientation. Jon is studying liquefaction during earthquakes for his Fulbright at the Univ. of Canterbury in Christchurch.

Graham and Jon in the cable car we took up to Graham and Nancy's house on a steep hill overlooking Wellington Harbour.

Our wonderful hosts took us to Weta Cave.

Gandalf

Leather and chainmail

Helmets

Hobbit feet

Uruk-hai

Our hotel was on the hip Cuba Street so we went to Fidel's Cafe for coffee in the morning and Havana Cafe for dinner in the evening.

One of the many species of ferns at Otari-Wilton's Bush.

The Fulbright orientation week always includes the national holiday celebrating the Treaty of Waitangi. We had the opportunity to see some of the celebrations on the waterfront, including waka (canoe) races and flax weaving demonstrations. The treaty was signed at Waitangi (in the Bay of Islands, North Island) on February 6, 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and heads of many iwi (tribes) of indigenous Māori  Not all iwi were signatories to the treaty as it was taken to parts of the country. The treaty has English and Māori versions, which differ in wording in several significant instances. Currently, a court case involving water rights is being decided and the differences between the two versions of the treaty are playing an important role.

Photo on the wall of the museum by the Waiwhetū Marae taken at a special event in 1990.

One of two waka used for ceremonial races. This waka is featured in the race above.

One of the exercises we did at the marae illustrated the injustices suffered by many iwi after British rule was established with the Treaty of Waitangi. New Zealand doesn’t have a constitution, so the treaty is the founding legal document. Our group was split into two. I was in the group that left the meeting room while the other group stayed. Both groups learned Māori songs to sing to each other and did a couple of other activities. When we came back into the room, our group lined up facing the other group and our group was instructed to “go shopping” and tear the blank piece of paper at the feet of the other group members in half. Then do it again. And again. And again, until finally only a slip of paper was left. What most of the “shoppers” didn’t realize until it was too late was that on the other side of the blank paper was a drawing each person had made of a natural place back home with special significance to them. We were callously ripping up something they owned, sacred in their hearts and produced by their hands. As I reassembled the now nearly complete picture at my feet after I finished “shopping” I felt so badly for the person whose drawing I had destroyed, a woman with Lakota Indian heritage. Our apologies after the exercise helped soothe all of us who were a bit shaken by the unexpected emotions we felt. Of course, losing a drawing and losing land and resources your family has owned for as long as anyone can remember are two very different things. I can’t begin to imagine how deep the pain must be for indigenous people everywhere who have lost so much.

Notice the small pieces of paper at the feet of the people on the left, representing the Māori and the large pieces of paper at the feet of the people on the right, representing the British. This was a surprisingly emotional exercise for both groups. Photo by Andy Williams, Fulbright New Zealand.

Summer

Princes Wharf

Summer in Auckland reminds me of summer in Portland: ideal temperatures in the 70s, sunny days, brown lawns, music, art, beer, wine, and food festivals, outdoor sporting events, boating, and swimming. In the City of Sails, there must be 50 times the number of sailboats Portland has, even though both cities are of a similar size. Last Monday was a holiday - Auckland Anniversary Day. In true Auckland style, it was celebrated with a music festival (with food trucks) at Silo Park, an air show, tugboat races, and multiple regattas featuring hundreds of sailboats, including some stunners.

Auckland Anniversary Regatta

Red Checkers - Royal New Zealand Air Force, flying by the Skytower

Close call during the regatta.

William C Daldy steam engine tugboat during the tugboat parade en route to the tugboat races.

I've taken quite a few pictures of the superyachts around here but unless other boats are in the picture, it's difficult to appreciate the scale. Christopher, 46m, dwarfs the Devonport ferry.  

The series below represents the typical scene at the Stanley Bay ferry wharf during summer - guys (90%) jumping off the wharf, and even the roof of the corrugated steel shed. 

 

A 40-minute ferry ride away, Waiheke Island hosts Headland Sculpture on the Gulf. I loved photographing the NZ Sculpture OnShore exhibit at nearby Fort Takapuna so I knew Waiheke's exhibit would be wonderful as well. It was.

Portrait of Traction and Transmission, David McCracken.  How did the artist install this piece at the bottom of a steep hill and at the edge of a cove with protruding rocks? Discuss. 

Wildfire, Sarah Brill.  As I approached this installation, extending above and below the trail,  I heard someone mention that this is a raw subject right now, with recent devastating wildfires in Australia, and here in New Zealand's Canterbury region, dominating the news. As we got closer, the fearful images triggered by the distant view became playful and beautiful images up close. The bright disks on wire tips reminded me of buttercups with their shiny petals and poppies with their sunset colors. 

Pavilion Structure, Gregor Kregar. I can't remember the last time I was on a swing. I took several pictures of this installation from the seat of one of the several swings-with-a-view. This view is towards Matiatia Bay and the ferry wharf.

I was a little unsettled looking up at the support for my swing - scrap wood nailed together in a seemingly haphazard fashion.

The Pavilion.

Nga Whetu Tiaroaro (Pataka), Glendale Rangihaeata. This shipping container is oriented towards One Tree Hill, south of the Skytower and CBD visible in the distance, left. The artist's work is deeply personal, representing the Pataka, or Maori storehouse, that held his belongings when he moved from Christchurch after the earthquakes to Auckland. One Tree Hill, popularized by one of my favorite U2 songs, used to be a Maori Pa, or fort, named Maungakiekie. Before that, it was an active volcano. Recognizing the site's cultural significance, Auckland Council and Iwi leaders are still deciding what to do with the top of the currently treeless hill.  

Detail from the floor of the Pataka. 

Snake, Phil Price. At first I didn't think much of this structure, but after watching it twist and turn in the wind and admiring its graceful curves from a bit further away, it became one of my favorites. 

Bunker Vision: HI-FI, Jonathan Organ and Jessica Pearless.  After hearing a talk by the artist (J. Organ), I wanted to go back and visit this structure again to better appreciate the details. At first, the black bunker set into the hill seemed too simple for me to explore. I considered not even scrambling down the steep approach to look inside. The view of the turquoise blue water in the background with green leaves supported by blackish branches in the foreground through the panoramic opening rewarded my unstable slide downhill. The simplicity is the thing. 

Sheep Track, Gina Ferguson.  It's not often you're invited to walk on a piece of art. Shortly after I took this picture, a group of people came by with their shoes off so they could fully experience this piece. 

Waiheke Island Sway, Fatu Feu'u. 

April 1975, Matthew Muir. I haven't been to a bach yet, what we'd call a lake / beach cabin back home, but this small scale version with an idyllic setting has me ready for a planned weekend to a bach owned by a friend of a friend. 

Shrine for the Sea, Soil, and Sky, Terry Stringer. Again the value of reading about the artworks while standing in front of them - I saw the head (here) and the foot (from the view as I step right), but I didn't go around to the other side with my back to the water to see the hand, also sculpted on to this one piece. The title should have clued me in to a third perspective.

Beyond Good and Evil, Konstantin Dimopoulos. Because I'm an ornithologist, I couldn't understand the title of this piece - evil, birds, what?! The artist is referencing Hitchcock's movie, The Birds. My title would reference another digital treat, Portlandia's Put a Bird On It!

My own version of Put a Bird On It! courtesy Fossil and Gummies.

Summer in Auckland wouldn't be complete without some of my favorite foods. Ice cream (of course) tops the list. I've begun a strengthening program for the muscles supporting my hobbled knee at Habit, discovering what may likely become a co-habit, a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich and/or scoop of delicious Vanilla Strawberry ice cream at The Kapiti Store.

I've been meaning to get up to Ponsonby Road for some time, one of Auckland's best shopping and dining districts. When the stylist at Annah Stretton Devonport found the dress I wanted in my size at the Ponsonby store, I finally took the bus around the corner and up the hill from the CBD. Dress in hand, I browsed more cute stores before getting a late lunch. I think I've tipped my hand on which portion of my lunch I ate first! The presentation was beautiful before I greedily poured the espresso and drinking chocolate over delicious vanilla ice cream for the best affogato anywhere at Il Buco. The pizza was delicious too.  

Rhubarb and pear crepes at Calliope Road Cafe, Devonport. I almost rented a furnished one bedroom apartment with a partial view of the water two doors down from this cafe. It would have been more convenient to the Devonport ferry and the grocery store, but if I lived next to this cafe, I would have spent my savings in rent on food and coffee here.  

And here's that daily mocha I'd have to have at the Calliope Road Cafe. I go there  2-3 times/month and order  the crepes and mocha every time. Next time I'll have to try the pancakes with fresh strawberries and lemon sauce.  

At home, I'm trying to be a responsible adult and eat something besides ice cream and nachos. This is my favorite salad. 

I eat soft tacos several times a week back in Portland. I love corn tortillas but the packaged  tortillas here are flour tortillas with the rare appearance of long-shelf-life corn tortillas. Not interested. This is one of my early attempts at making my own corn tortillas. Thankfully, the local grocery store stocks corn masa mix - just add water! Lacking a rolling pin (then, now I have one), I used a (getting squishy after several uses) lemon to roll out my tortilla between sheets of baking paper. After a quick warm-up on the skillet they're ready to top with salsa, cheese, and corn salad.

My favorite corn salad recipe, from Field of Greens, Greens Restaurant, San Francisco. 

It seems everyone here drinks wine. Lots of it. Waiheke Island has some wonderful wineries with beautiful settings for a day-long tasting tour. I prefer scratch margaritas. I'm sure there are places here that make wonderful margaritas but I haven't found them yet. I finally decided to buy some tequila and make my own. It's when I headed over to the produce aisle at the grocery store that I discovered why I'm having a difficult time finding a good margarita for a reasonable price: two limes cost $6.50! $30/kg. The investment I made in the tequila was probably wasted because I can't afford limes.