Doing Kiwithings and Waitangi Day

On Sunday we think we are having a lazy day but then our cousin asks us if we will join them to the river so the dogs can have a swim. We will have lunch on the riverbank. So we all hop in the 4wheeldrive and set out for the Waimakariri. We have a short stop in Sheffield to buy some lunch, pies and sweet bread. Back on the road we drive to the bridge, but just before we turn into a small sandy, rocky road. We drive along the riverbank until there is no one around and where is a small pool where the dogs can have a swim, which is about 1 k further. It is a stony bank so we are shaken a lot in the car. The dogs are excited to go for a swim and they enjoy it very much. The water is not that cold so we walk in it too. We go a wee bit further so the biggest dog can swim as well. The men go fishing and we follow them by car. Time flies and we go back the way we came. We make a stop near the bridge, a lot of people are have fun, swimming, fishing, boating or canoeing. The ones in the canoes are preparing for the beach to beach race, an annual happening when they go canoeing, biking, running from the West Coast to Christchurch. That how Kiwi’s spend their sunny Sundays.
Monday is Waitangi Day. Ad and I drive to Okains Bay. There will be a traditional celebration. We leave early to be in time. The GPS says that not all roads will be sealed, but we don’t mind. The road is ok at first but when we make a turn it gets narrow. And on my side I have a lovely view, in the deep that is. And no protection on the side, just be careful when you drive. The last part of the road has no signs as well, like 35 k turn or something like that. But we get there save and soun, and all roads were sealed roads, so the GPS was wrong. The whole village is closed for the occasion. We pay entrance and go in. We have a look around and then go to where the official opening is going to be. We all have to go out first, the officials go in front. It starts with a Maori ritual greeting. Then everybody goes in. there are speeches in Maori, which we don’t understand of course. Dances and personal Maori greetings for the invited.
We buy a ticket for a Hangi menu. We guess one will be enough. The next item on the programme is the boat coming in. It is very interesting to see. We can hear them shout from a far. We can’t get very close though, because there are a lot of people on the river bank. The Hangi is ready and will be lifted. A man opens with a Maori ritual before they start “to cut the cake” as one says. The sand is shuffled from the top and the sides, a lot of men are helping. I don’t like the smell of it, it smells like cooked jute, not nice. Under the sand are layers of jute and they are carefully removed. We see huge baskets with food, there is enough for 1000 people. They lift them with hooks because of the heat. They are brought to the place where the food will be plated. We enter the cue, it is a very long cue but nobody worries about their place in the cue. We are near a group of young friends who are singing. It makes the waiting more fun. It takes a while but a woman in front of us says that once started it will go fast and she is right. I sit down on the grass and Ad gets our food. He comes back with a plate filled with pork, chicken, beef and lamb. There is potato, kumara and carrot. It is enough for both of us.
After our meal we go back home. The narrow road again but there is a wee difference, we follow another road at first to get out but then we get back on the main road. It were again a few beautiful days.