A King’s Canoe

by | Mar 30, 2016 | Aotearoa, Cultures of Polynesia

Correcting a Maori waka taua photo caption  Several months ago a woman in New Zealand contacted the PCC to tell us we had mis-identified her great-grandfather in a picture caption of our 60-foot-long 40-man waka taua or war canoe that’s been permanently berthed in the...
New Zealand Fish n’ Chips

New Zealand Fish n’ Chips

by | Aug 3, 2015 | Aotearoa, Eat Polynesia!

According to  Teara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, “…the staple takeaway meal in New Zealand, fish and chips, has been popular for decades. The fish is usually elephant fish, blue warehou, red cod, or shark species. They are sold generically as ‘fish’...
Maoritanga — The Maori Way of Life

Maoritanga — The Maori Way of Life

by | Mar 11, 2015 | Aotearoa, Cultures of Polynesia

Māoritanga — Māori culture — is very much alive  Occasionally, a travel writer may describe the Polynesian Cultural Center as a “living museum”: That is, a place where we’ve recreated the past, but that’s not really accurate. Granted, most Polynesians now-a-days live...

The Awe of the Haka

by | Feb 3, 2015 | Aotearoa, Cultures of Polynesia

Story by Polynesian Cultural Blogger, Bobby Akoi, Jr I was in high school when I first witnessed my first haka in Hilo put on by a dance troupe from New Zealand. The first thing that came out of my mouth was, “WOW”.  It was so powerful it gave me goose bumps all over...

Ta Moko: Maori Tattooing

by | Aug 19, 2014 | Aotearoa, Cultures of Polynesia

Ever since I read Keri Hulme’s The Bone People, I have been fascinated with Maori symbols and tattoos, particularly the meanings and significance behind each line of the work. The facial tattoos kinda scared me, but the patterns were still captivating.   According to...