Maori Study and Tai Chi

This last week was intense. Glenn and I were able to take another weeklong Maori language course. The classes ran all day from 8:30am to 5pm. We both felt exhausted at the end of the day. Though we did go away from the course feeling we had at least a beginners understanding of Maori. Our days were not spent entirely in class learning pronounciation, punctuation, grammer and spelling; we actually spent a good portion of our time singing or learning Maori songs (waiatas). Each day after lunch (kia) all the classes gathered in the marae, the traditional Maori gathering space. There we sang songs some with actions some without. This was such a powerful experience with the maori carvings all over the walls and the energy of everyone in the room singing the room just buzzed with energy. Everyone sang, no one hesitated or said “but I am not a singer”. Some of the women’s voices were extremely powerful.

This morning the sky was cloudy and there is a cool breeze. We rode our bikes to the park for your Saturday Tai Chi lesson. The park was a soft green in the blue overcast light, the finches sang their morning song, the ducks waddled by the pond edge and we centered ourselves gaining energy from the earth. As we followed our instructor through the movements, I inhaled the fresh morning air, focusing inward and outward. Before me stood a wise tree and from it flew a Gray Heron. He came and went but always brought back with him a strand of grass or a thin twig. The soaring vastness of the heron was mesmerizing. I felt an awareness and connection each stroke of the herons wings. This moment felt like a long and deep breath. When we ended the lesson the heron was no longer making his journey back and forth from the tree. But we did see a small pile of grasses and twigs where the trees branches forked, we expected the heron was out catching breakfast.

A bowl piece "Seeing the trees in a Forest" 

Here is Glenn infront of a huge cannon ball like rock holding a small cannon ball like rock and his first paua find. 

This is the cove that we went to. Along the way we had fun looking at all the amazing rock formations and Glenn hunted for Paua. 

This is Waimarama Beach one of our favorite beaches. There we went on a long walk along the beach to a smaller cove. 

The museum was amazing so big and so much to see. We only made it to the Maori exhibit then we had to get some food in our tummies.  

There is Glenn peering over a large sculptural bridge connecting the city gallery with the city museum. 

Throughout Wellington you found old architecture mixing with new architecture. 

Wellington was a cool city. I had fun with all the reflections you could find off the building windows. 

This is "Torso II". 

This is another piece that I was pretty happy with titled "Torso I" 

It was a good night. Glenn and I played a fair amount of tunes and their were quite a few people there to see the show and the art work.  

A final shot. 

The title of our performance was Two Blokes Meet on the Street. This shot was taken in the middle of the performance as the mask character dug through his bag looking for his insturment.  

Opening night performance at Hastings Community Art Center. 

A couple more art pieces...

"Holding Pattern"

This is a double bowl I was just trying out making bowl forms.  

Les and Marcia's tasty tour of Hawk's Bay

Les and Marcia also treated us to a feast for dinner what a spread; Hawke's Bay wine, fresh spinach salad, delicious squash, green lip muscles that looked like they could eat you for dinner and scallops that melted in your mouth. Thanks for spoiling us Les and Marcia.

It was a cold wet day when Les and Marcia came through to visit but we treated their taste buds with some of our favorite stops. Here they are tastings some of the local varieties of Hard Cider.  

Some of my Art Works....

The following pictures are some of the ceramic pieces I have been working on. It has been a challenge for me to learn more about glazing. The following pieces are all earthenware clay fired at a low temperature so you can get bright colors. A very different process from wood firing at high temps. I have another set of pieces being fired that are stoneware so I am excited to see how these turn out. The last few pieces I will have shown in the Hastings Community Center Gallery the end of this month.


These are some bowls I made and was trying out underglaze. A very different way of working for me.

"Inner Flutter" 

"In a Wink"

This is one of the first pieces I made here in New Zealand I called it "Monarch Form". 

One Wild Ruckus of a Time

What a way to bring in the New Year 2005. This last extended weekend starting Thursday and ending Monday we spent camping, dancing and playing music. We were invited to an annual Folk Festival/New Years Party at a farm about an hour north of Napier. The farm was just off the Mohaka River, which lent to steep, dramatic terrain. The first night we stayed up into the wee hours playing music and listening to people share songs that they knew. The next night was the Ceili dance, a very high-energy large group dance, which also went on into the late hours of the night. While the dance went on Glenn joined in a search and rescue for a camper who went off by himself and hadn’t returned. It was in scary terrain with goat’s paths and steep cliffs to explore in the late evening. Glenn with all his bravery was the one to encourage them to call it off because of the real possibility of someone else getting hurt. The next day the camper was OK, found in the middle of a waterfall by the search and rescue helicopter.
Needless to say we were pretty lazy through out the day but always saved up our energy for the night’s events. The third night was a night of sharing. All that attended this gathering had an opportunity to share whether it were a song, a poem, a story or a dance. What a marvelous evening and such a large wave of emotions from hilarity to seriousness leaving you with pure joy once the evening was through. Glenn shared a couple of his favorites, and Kjelsty got the kids to do a great percussion routine that entertained the crowd. Tony did an incredible Barnacle the Bill imitation, which was just hilarious.
We were told that these sorts of gatherings happen all over New Zealand. Our gathering place was the wool shed. The farm no longer raises sheep but the wool shed is still standing and is the largest building on the land. The shed is where we gathered to share music and fill ourselves on a freshly BBQ pork, chicken and delicious salads every night. One night there was a ceremonial slicing of the haggis, a strange graining pâté like substance that is boiled for many hours inside a sheep stomach. Glenn’s unpleasant scrunched up nose was not at all encouraging so I chose not to taste this strange concoction. Besides it looked like a hairy butt to me.
On the fourth day there was a battle. Dinah and Tony, both TV actors and real characters, had attended this gathering for the least 18 and established a tradition of organizing a reenactment of a battle between the Scottish and the English. Glenn joined in the mayhem whole heartedly leading the Scottish Army into battle as Brian the Brave, and of course the Scottish won by flinging cow pies and surprising the English in the complete chaos. After the battle we had a great final feast more salads and a giant BBQ and I had my first taste of goat. It was soooo good. Our final evening we were treated to another true character. Also an actor, Robin, called himself an interactive comedian and in pure form that night he sang and played the tambourine. With such inflection he gave old rock songs from the 50’s and 70’s new breath. I was full of giggles. Glenn thought Robin looked familiar, and we found out late he was in the main court in the Lord of the Rings. What a way to bring in the New Year with new friends and the joy for life these folk musicians seemed to have.

The English captain, Tony, makes his retreat as his troops fall to the mercy of the Scots.  

Glenn aka Brian the Brave leads his troops into battle. 

The Haggis not too appetizing.