AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The BYU-Hawaii professors and librarians group are concluding their week of professional development in New Zealand. They arrived here last Thursday with the intention of observing pre-colonial, colonial, and contemporary New Zealand culture.
The group studied the layers of pre-colonial New Zealand history in Rotorua by touring Te Puia — New Zealand's Maori Cultural Centre, which not only offers a glimpse into village and marae [sacred meeting area] life, but also features Whakarewarewa geothermal valley with boiling pools of mud and the Pohutu Geyser (look out, Old Faithful!).
They then spent time at nearby Rainbow Springs Nature Park, which works with New Zealand's Department of Conservation to ensure the survival of many protected species, in particular the country's national icon — the endangered kiwi. The small, shy flightless bird exists nowhere else in the world.
Other group favorites included the tuatara — an extremely calm (borderline depressed) reptile-like species endemic to New Zealand that dates back more than 225 million years and only breathes once an hour; the spunky kia — smartest bird in New Zealand (and most entertaining, if you ask me); and the fiercely feisty ostrich-like emu, whose brain is smaller than both of its eyeballs put together.
In Paihia and Waitangi, up North in the Bay of Islands, the group became acquainted with New Zealand's first colonial encounters with European explorers, whalers, sealers and traders. Russell Island, which in 1830 was considered the "Hell-hole of the Pacific" because of lawless behavior, boasts the oldest Christian church in New Zealand — Christ's Anglican Church — and is now one of the most idyllic little corners of the world. (A photographer's paradise!)
Then it was on to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the controversial Treaty — an agreement between the British and the Maori people to live side by side as one nation — was signed on 6 February 1840. The three-paragraph document is as relevant today as it was 167 years ago and it was a thrill to stand in the spot where a document of such impact on New Zealand history was debated, negotiated, revised, translated and signed by 43 chiefs.
"This was a highlight because it wasn't just interesting to watch. The Waitangi Bay treaty tour was fascinating from a historical perspective," remarked BYU-Hawaii history professor James Tueller.
The tour guide made the experience more meaningful — maybe because he was a fellow member of the LDS church; or maybe because the treaty was literally signed in his back yard; or maybe because he was simply concise and succinct about New Zealand history (a magic combination).
"His tone was we're creating a New Zealand. Not a Maori world. Not a pakeha (foreigner) world. Not a divided world. Today we're trying to create a place where we can live in harmony," observed Tueller.
"Studying New Zealand up-close is a way for us to better understand the history of the Pacific, the background of our students and the intricacies and subtleties of the relationships between the past and the present in this region," stressed BYUH professor of religion Jennifer Lane. "Visiting these two nations which are dealing with their past encounters with Christianity and Imperialism in two very different ways is a great education for us."
For a taste of contemporary culture, the group spent a good deal of time in Auckland — home of the largest multi-cultural population in the South Pacific, about two million strong — where the past and the present stand side by side. Sleek metal and glass buildings share the same street corners as profound, freshly painted 19th century Victorian architecture.
The group perused the extraordinary Auckland Museum, toured Auckland University, rode public transportation, ate Middle Eastern kabobs and Mediterranean pizza, and, yes, even caught a rugby game at Eden Park. In downtown Auckland, where the café culture pervades, you'll find everything from vivid graffiti art to eclectic street musicians. As big cities go, it's quite charming.
On the outskirts, neighborhoods consist of quaint Victorian houses surrounded by gigantic oaks and white picket fences. Magnolia trees in full bloom, perfectly symmetrical orange trees and calolili gardens make you feel as though you're walking through an issue of Ideals magazine or a Thomas Kincaid painting. It's simply lovely.
And that goes for the rest of the country, too. Driving from place to place is part of the destination because the scenic route is stunning. Suspended birds soar over rolling terraced fields of velvet green and jutting pines and pango (fir) trees. My personal favorites are the bare naked trees, white or copper topped, standing dignified in polite clusters and rows. The cows! The sheep! And the clouds! Ah, the clouds. Let's not even get started on the clouds.
Let me just say . . . If you're traveling to New Zealand, tank up on your sleep before you come. Then keep your eyes wide open, ‘cause if you blink you'll miss something spectacular.
— Photos by Debra Frampton: (upper left) Matt Kester, David Beus and Isaiah Walker in "colorful" Auckland; (middle right) Jennifer Lane at Russell Island church; Photo by Jennifer Lane: (lower left) boiling mudpot in Rotorua
