Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia

About an hour away from Sydney and easily accessible by train are the Blue Mountains, with their treks for all levels of fitness. I was not fully prepared for the splendor of the first trek we did, which winded its way around a waterfall that seemed to be layers upon layers of smaller waterfalls. I took many pictures, most of which do not do justice to the breathtaking views.

The trek was a relatively steep descent, with many pools in which you could jump to refresh yourself. If the descent was long, the ascent was plain arduous. This is I believe one of the hardest trek I have done, because whatever distance you cover downhill, you must climb again. At one point I was convinced my heart would pound its way out of my chest.

 (Not for those afraid of heights...)

The views were well worth it though.

 (Another waterfall picture, just because.)

We then moved on to see the Three Sisters and my host in Sydney proceeded to tell me of the legend behind them. Once again I was amazed at the heights (it was a long way down from the view point…) and vastness before me. 

(The rock formation called The Three Sisters)

There seem to be many versions of the tale which you can find online, but this is the one I heard :

Three beautiful sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo had fallen in love with three brothers from another tribe, yet tribal law wouldn't allow them to marry. The brothers decided to capture the three sisters, which led to a tribal war.

As the three sisters were in grave danger, the witch doctor from their tribe turned the three sisters to stone to protect them. However, he  was killed before he could revert the spell and the magic bone used for casting was lost. People for years upon years have searched for the bone to reverse the spell, but it was never found. (Marika and I, somewhere along the waterfall trail)

Zealandia

Our last stop in this short New Zealand getaway was in Zealandia, Wellington, a bird sanctuary.

We also went to the renowned Te Papa Museum, the National Museum of New Zealand, which happens to be free. It holds an interesting special exhibit on the giant squid and many other, including on the Maori culture. I very much recommend it!

(View from the suspended bridge in Zealandia)

Waitomo's Caves

I will admit that, while I was excited about many of the things I have done so far, I was really excited about this particular activity. I have done rafting in the past, but black water rafting was going to be a first for me. I couldn’t help, but wonder what it would be like to do rafting on an underground stream. Second, I couldn’t wait to see the glow worms and Waitomo is definitely the place to see them.

We opted for the Legendary Black Water Rafting Company to explore the caves on a tube.

Black water rafting was definitely different. It was way more relaxing, except maybe when it came to jumping down the small waterfall. The water was relatively cold, but still comfortable while wearing a wetsuit. 

The glow worm were amazing, it really did look like a starry night in the dark of the caves when all our headlamps were off. 

Our guides were young and lively, sometimes saying improper things, but then again, sometimes improper is so fitting to the situation.

I will try to loosely quote the summary given to us by one of the guides: “Basically, you bunch came all the way down here to watch carnivorous, cannibalistic maggots with bioluminescent poo who, upon reaching adulthood, shag until they die.”

And, somehow, this appears to be a very fitting description for the glow worms. The maggot which hatches first will indeed eat the eggs surrounding it, since there are no other food source available to it at that moment. By eating its unborn siblings, the glow worm will get the nutrients necessary to produce a sort of silky fishing line, not unlike the strands of a spider web. The glow worms are not bioluminescent per say, it is their poo that light the darkness. In this way, when an insect gets washed down the caves it will try to fly up thinking the lights are stars and by doing so will get caught on the fishing line cast by the maggot and thus become its next meal.

When it is time for the maggot to transform, it will go in cocoon and come out as a mosquito-like insect with no mouth to feed. At this point, it has a life expectancy of two days. The male will copulate for almost 48 hours straight, before falling asleep from exhaustion and dying. The female will have to find an adequate spot to lay its eggs and will eventually die of hunger.

Albeit in a morbid way, it is fascinating isn’t it?

I'm sorry there are no pictures for this post, I'm still waiting for the shots from my travel companion of the time.

Hangi

While in Rotorua, New Zealand, we signed up for a Maori experience. It reproduced several elements of the Maori culture, including the welcoming ritual of members of another tribe, and displayed some of the skills, such as fighting and weaving. This was followed by a hangi meal, quite a feast, and some traditional singing and dancing.

This was another amazing experience, especially since I’m interested in the status of first nations in Canada and aboriginal people abroad.

I was quite surprised by the situation of Maori people in New Zealand and I think we could really use their example for Canada. I would love to repeat the Maori experience, but with a first nation of Canada. What would I not give to gain insight into their culture. However, I do believe this is not an option for now.

The Maori people I saw were actually really charismatic and proud. I do not wish to generalize, but that was my observation. I did not feel, in New Zealand anyway, that the Maoris were treated as second class citizens. There was something really refreshing about this I suppose.

I don’t know if it is because Maoris are particularly skilled at managing their resources or if they have a strong inherent social fiber.

However, one thing that bothered me was the role of women that seemed to be upheld for tradition’s sake. The feminist part of me rebelled at the idea that women were still limited in what they could do for the simple reason that they are women. I know it might be a simplistic interpretation, but it was still somewhat bothersome to me.

Maori culture, just like for first nations in Canada, deserves to be discovered and not just for the cool facial markings, feats of arms and intimidation techniques. The experience leaves you feeling like you have just brushed the surface on this subject, which is probably true.

I do plan on reading more about the Maori’s culture and history, and I would love to have the chance to sit down and have a one on one discussion with tribe members. I have so many questions left unanswered, like what is the status of homelessness and alcoholism in Maori population? Which fields of competency fall under Maori’s jurisdiction? Are Maori pretty much integrated or apart from the rest of the population?