Newsletter - June 2011
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Whakanuia i Te Wiki Reo Maori!
Maori Language week will be celebrated between the 4th - 10th of July.The kaupapa (theme) for this year will be “Manaakitanga”, meaning, “ to care for”, “respect” and “ bless”.
Manaakitanga is clearly visible here at Whakarewarewa in many ways it reflects our hospitality as we open our arms and village to the world. This has been the norm for many years, and we will continue this for many more years to come.
So how will you be celebrating Maori Language week this year?
U&I Learn Maori
Multicultural Rotorua invite Rotorua Migrants and Newcomers to a three-hour Maori cultural and language learning experience in celebration of Maori Language Week at Whakarewarewa, The Living Thermal Village from 9.45am - 1.00pm on Saturday, 9th of June.
Enquiries: email multiculturalrotorua@gmail.com
Register: email rotorua@newcomers.co.nz OR call 021 159 3601
Charles Royal Comes to town…
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He is of Te Arawa, Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngati Raukawa ki te Tonga and Ngati Maru descent, and has a strong passion for food. Charles has sampled food from around the world, is the owner of two restaurants and a Maori cultural culinary tour guide.Charles Pipi Tukukino Royal has a lot of experience with food, and has brought his expertise to Whakarewarewa Thermal Village.
In May, Charles visited Whakarewarewa Village with a film crew from Singapore who host a children's Television program. Charles introduced his own “bush” food which was cooked in Parekohuru and the village steam box.
Much fun was had as the Singaporean crew had never seen this type of cooking before.
“The food was very flavorsome, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it” said Renee Raimona who assisted in hosting Charles and his group.
In June, Charles returned once again with famous Australian cook, Paul Mercurio. Known for his show “Mecurios Menu” Paul , like Charles has been cooking for many years.
Paul and Charles worked together infusing their own flavors in to an incorporated dish of “bush” and traditional food.
While in Rotorua, Mercurio also visited Croucher Breweries, went trout fishing, pheasant hunting and picked native pikopiko and kawa kawa.
Maara Kai Complete
On Wednesday the 1st of June in the early hours of the morning, Whakarewarewa celebrated the opening of the Maara Kai, situated in the Rähui.The Maara Kai is dedicated to Papawharanui, the Wharekai that stood in the Rähui until the mid 1950’s.
Our Maara Kai provides visitors with an insight to the communal living and natural sustainability of our Tüpuna (ancestors).
This has also provided Whakarewarewa Thermal Village Tours with the opportunity to recreate and demonstrate its business capability in becoming sustainable, following in the footsteps of our Tüpuna.
A big thank you to Te Puni Kokiri who provided funding to initiate Te Maara Kai.
We have a number of winter vegetables planted which are due to be harvested around October - November. As we head in to summer, we hope to finally have Kanga (sweet corn) whereby visitors can pick and then cook in Parekohuru.
