An Unexpected Treat

In my continued search for kite making materials, I found myself welcome into community of Tu Hoe, relatively isolated community ofMaori. The Tu Hoe are the among the very last people who still speak fluent Maori and actively engage in select traditional customs. It was in the Te Ure Wera Valley, when I was holding out for slim possibilityof retrieving raupo from a storehouse in Rotorua that it appeared coincidentally. As it turns out, the most elusive of kitemaking materials, raupo grew in abundance at the creek adjacent to my sleeping quarters. Upon collecting the other essential ingredients, I set out ot make my first manu taratahi.Upon its completion, I bestowed it to my hosts as it is tradition among Maoris (as also practice by Cowichan of Canada) to give their first away. Such tradition encourages the creation of a second serving to affirm memory through practice.