East Cape

The section of NZ's north island known as the East Cape is one of the most isolated and least-visited parts of the country. There are no proper grocery stores; petrol stations are far and few between. In my opinion, it's also one of the most beautiful parts of the country, thanks in part to its remoteness. You can walk along the beach for miles without seeing another person; the roads are eerily quiet. There are no hotels or rowdy youth hostels. The only accommodation comes in the form of small home-stay style beach houses. No TVs, no computers, and it was great! These places started at as one-room baches (Kiwi beach house) and have slowly expanded over the years. They're usually owned and operated by the same Kiwi bloke who built the place 30 years ago. There were usually no more than 10 people staying at these houses - all ages and nationalities. We shared good conversation, good dessert, and good drink!

The vast majority of residents on the East Cape are Maori. In fact, this is NZ's largest concentration of Maori people. It's not uncommon to hear the language spoken in the street or see a sign in the corner shop written in Maori. Driving along the coast, you see more maraes (Maori meeting houses, community centers) than homes or businesses. These structures are easily identified by their beautiful bright red wooden carvings. The communities here are very tight-knit and proud of their heritage. There was a time not very long ago when it wasn't popular to be Maori, but they've recently started "taking back" the culture. The old custom of facial tattooing (moko) has been revived. For men, this involves the full face. For women, the tattoo is usually limited to the lower lip and chin. These designs are incredibly intricate and eye-catching, but I'm not sure if it polite to stare at someone's face.

The Maori people may be concentrated in the East Cape, but their influence reaches much further. Maori art and myth are a BIG part of NZ culture. Heck, the All Blacks do the haka before every game! It also plays a prominent role in tourism. The Maori are certainly afforded more respect and recognition than the Native Americans of the US. However, nothing is perfect. Maybe I'm a cynic, but I've tried to politely ask/observe whether all this "inclusion" is a sign of true respect for Maori culture or whether it is a bunch of politically correct BS. A lot of people say it's half and half.

The truth is that there is still a lot of racism and inequality. I'm not sure that this would be apparent to a short-term visitor. The longer I'm here, the more I pick up on this... whether it be a racist joke, rude comment, etc. Maoris make up 17% of the NZ population, but over 50% of the prison population. Their income is below the national average. Something is wrong there. I wonder what kind of job opportunities an East Cape resident has? There is nothing there. And what other resources/services are available to the community? Obesity, an important public health issue, disproportionately affects the Maoris.

Sure, those tight-knit communities on the East Cape seem to live in relative harmony, but it kind of feels like segregation. They don't always welcome white (pakeha) visitors and white visitors (Kiwi and foreign) don't always want to go there. The East Cape is said to have some of NZ's best surfing, but I've been told that Kiwis don't vacation there very often. One person told me a story about accidentally offending a man by calling him Kiwi. He sternly explained, "I'm not Kiwi. I'm Maori."

I'm certainly no expert on the matter, but I've been very intrigued by Maori culture and its place in today's New Zealand. Of course, these are just my personal observations and I'm sure many people would disagree. I think NZ has done a lot of things right, but I don't think it's the racial/cultural utopia it sometimes portrays itself as to visitors. There are lots of questions, but I don't know the answers. As the Kiwis would say, it's something to "have a think" about.