One of the more unique stops on our Stray bus itinerary is an overnight stay with a Māori family in Mourea, which is close to Rotorua. The family greets our bus and invites us to become part of their family for the evening. From the first introduction our hosts Richard and Ruth share why their culture is so important to them and how they honor that heritage every day. They greet us in song and ask us to sing a song back; after some debate our group settles on “Wonderwall” and serenades our hosts for a few verses and chorus.

We enjoy a group dinner of roasted chicken and vegetables, including kūmara, a popular root veggie similar to the sweet potato.

Plus apple crisp and custard for dessert:

This home is on the banks of the same lake as Rotorua, the nearest city where my friend Allison and I visited the Polynesian Spa and went zorbing two weeks earlier.

After dinner our hosts and their family and close friends perform some of the oral traditions passed down in Māori culture, specifically song, dance, calls, and chants.

Then our group is invited to participate. They divide us by gender and send us off to prepare a routine for presentation. Whoever “wins” gets out of dish duty at breakfast in the morning. Game on!

The guys are up first… and the shirts come off. They are in it to win it.

Next the girls take the stage with props for a song and dance (the ball on a string is called a poi and was used back in the day to strengthen young warriors’ wrists).

… and there’s video footage below of the entire evening if you’re so inclined to check it out:

And our hosts decide that the girls win! Hooray!

Next the pros return to the stage for a few more songs.

After the performance we get ready to sleep in the marae, which is a temple of sorts for their family. Religious and social services are typically held here and photos of ancestors line the walls.

There’s a funny albeit obscene explanation for the Māori folklore scene depicted on the bottom right that involves a man turning into a lizard.

Check out the detail on the “no smoking” sign below — that symbol around the cigarette is the Māori icon for an unfurling silver fern, also known as koru. How neat that they weave their culture into otherwise mundane signage.

The next morning our group gathers for a photo. Host Ruth motions for the gentleman in the front (Marco from Germany) to pose like that and “make love to the camera.” I joke that the rest of us probably aren’t even in the photo.

And now for a funny shot — I should have made a face:

Many thanks to our host family for their hospitality and for welcoming us with open arms and sharing their culture.