ESOL Immersion Students Experience Maori Culture

Last week the junior students from four ESOL Immersion classes went on a trip to Te Hana Te Ao Marama Marae.

The purpose of the trip was to provide the students with a practical experience of being welcomed onto a marae with a traditional powhiri (welcome) and sleeping on a marae (noho). They also learned the art of weaving an item with flax and had fun playing a stick game.

Richard Xia from Rutherford acted as the ‘Chief’ and accepted the challenge on behalf of the students. During the welcome ceremony Richard delivered a speech to our hosts in Te Reo Maori and this was well received by our hosts. The students enjoyed the experience.

Prior to visiting the Marae the group visited the Matakohe Kauri Museum where there are numerous items on display made from the native New Zealand Kauri tree. This huge museum has a wonderful display of how the early settlers harvested the kauri timber and the gum from these giant trees.

On the return trip to school the group stopped at the Honey Centre in Warkworth where they could observe bees in glass cased hives - the term ‘busy as a bee’ was very evident in these glass cased hives!