Aotearoa

Ao = cloud / tea = white / roa = long

The land of the Long White Cloud. This is the name that was given to New Zealand by the first  Māori settlers, after the wife of Kupe the Polynesian explorer, pointed that piece of land thinking it was just a long white cloud (maybe the snow-capped volcanoes?). Initially the name was only describing the North Island but today it is commonly accepted as the Māori name of New Zealand as a whole.

From the moment we stepped out of the plane, our trip around Aotearoa was accompanied by the sweet sound of Māori words, here are some of my favorite ones: 

• Kia Ora: the Māori way of greeting, literally translating as "be well"

• Haere Mai: "welcome"

• Te Papa: "our place" as Māori rightly describe Aotearoa. This is also the name of the very interesting Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand in Wellington, "Tongarewa" translating as "gift" or "treasure"

• Piopio Tahi: the Māori name for Milford Sound (fjord located on the West Coast of the South Island), meaning "a single piopio" a bird which is believed to have flown over the Sound to mourn the death of Māui (a demigod famous for his exploits and his trickery, more here) in his attempt to win immortality for mankind 

• Kaikoura: the name of this coastal town north of Chirstchurch translates as "meal of crayfish" ('kai'- food/meal, 'koura' - crayfish) and for the right reason. The water around Kaikoura is home to an impressive array of marine wildlife and aside crayfish you find colonies of dusky dolphins, seals and whales. They all feast on the abundant seafood that thrives there due to currents and submarine canyons

• Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere: 'the tears of Hinehukatere' is the name given by the Māori people to the Franz Josef glacier located on the West Coast of the South Island. Like often the name arose from a beautiful legend: Hinehukatere loved climbing in the mountains and persuaded her lover, Wawe, to climb with her. Wawe was a less experienced climber than Hinehukatere but loved to accompany her until an avalanche swept Wawe from the peaks to his death. Hinehukatere was broken hearted and her many, many tears flowed down the mountain and froze to form the glacier.

According to the Māori story of creation, before the world came into being, there was Te Kore (nothingness) and Te Po (darkness). Ranginui (tke sky father) and Papatuanuku (earth mother) formed out of Te Kore and lay together in a close embrace. Their children were born between them and lived in darkness but conspired and forced their parents apart. Te Ao Marama (the world of light began). 

Since settling on Aotearoa, the  Māori have developed a fascinating culture around many legends, customs and a strong network of family and tribal relationships. The Iwi is the largest of the groups that form the traditional structure of Māori society. Today, the largest Iwi has over 100,000 members. Each Iwi is made of hapu (descend groups) which have many hundreds of members and are composed of several whanau (extended families). These structures have endured despite European colonisation, even if most Māori have given up their traditional way of living.

Why do I like this country so much? The answer is here.