Land of the Long White Cloud

The past week has been a frenzy of activity.  After twenty-eight hours of traveling, we stepped out of the airport in Auckland around 6 am.  That first wave of fresh air passed through every fiber of my body.  While I couldn't grasp that I was a world away from home, soon, certain strange things caught my attention: they drive on the "correct" side of the road here, yield signs instead say "give way,"and you can put 'as' behind any word ( i.e. crazy as) in order to sound more like a local.  More has happened this past week than I can say, but here are a few highlights:
The Hongi- This is a traditional Maori greeting.  The two people touch noses and foreheads and share two breaths.  The first is a recognition of self and the second is a recognition of all your ancestors.  The Maori believe that everything carries a spirit.  not only do we travel with our own spirits, but we carry the spirits of our loved ones and ancestors with us wherever we go.  
The Haka- This a warrior dance that is performed when two tribes meet.  The All Blacks (Nz's rugby team) does it before every game.  We learned the history behind it while also attempting to learn the words and the actions.
Roturua- We stayed in the Kiwipaka in this town.  Thermal vents steamed in various parts of the land, intermingled with houses and trees.  The entire place stank of sulfur.
to be continued.....