Post-Honeymoon New Zealand Obsession

Upon returning from our amazing honeymoon (its perfection only slightly marred by J.'s salmonella adventure), I became obsessed with the history of New Zealand and spent an obscene amount of time researching the natural history of New Zealand, its flora, fauna, and people. In particular, I was blown away by the performance of Maori music and dance we saw at the Auckland Museum. (You can find video of the cultural experience performance at You Tube.) I was fascinated by the relationship between mundane Maori activities--fishing, boating, fighting--and the dance. The Haka is their signature dance. It was performed in battle to intimidate the enemy. Today, the national rugby team, the All Blacks, performs it in international meets. The last time it was used in battle was WWII.

I was also fascinated by the fact that New Zealand was the last landmass occupied by humans and is so distant that no mammals lived there until more recent times. Birds dominate the native fauna. Moa are now extinct, but they were enormous birds that were at the top of the food chain prior to the arrival of the Maori's Polynesian ancestors.

Lastly, I should give a few more general comments on our honeymoon. It must be said that the Kiwi people are the nicest I've ever met. It's like they all understand that being friendly and polite really is a better way to get along. The food is amazing. Our local favorites were Kapiti ice cream and Cin Cin, a wonderful restaurant at the marina. Auckland is a lovely city, and J. and I concur that we must go back to Auckland again as the starting place for future New Zealand adventures.

Fiji was also awesome, but we mostly saw the island resort we had booked through Luxury Link (an amazing resource for big discounts on luxury travel). Vomo resort occupies an entire small island off the west coast of the main island of Fiji. They waited on us hand and foot, and were particularly helpful in bringing us meals to our cabin (called a bure), where Joshua was resting up from his lumbar puncture. The room and amenities were first class; the beach was unforgettable. The fish were absolutely gorgeous; you could walk right into the reef and see them. The water is so clear that we could see straight down to the bottom from our helicopter ride back to the airport. I did my first snorkeling jump from a boat and spent large portions of each day in or beside the water. For some bizarre reason, I rose at dawn every day we were in Fiji. I would wander out and lay in a hammock by the water and watch the world wake up.

Recommended Resources:
Pacific migrations - From West to East Polynesia - Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Auckland Museum Maori Resources