New Zealand

Hey everyone,

Kia Ora,

I'm getting really excited about my iminent adventures in the sunny Aotearoan Islands.

I'll be ariving in New Zealand towards the end of this month.

I'll be based in Christchurch but will have a vehicle and a burning desire to travel.

So the big questions are, who wants to meet up and are there any events i need to know about. I'll be around for ages, indefinitely that is. My brother should be applying for residency in less than a year and i may do the same, who knows.

Plan is to get a nice 4wd van, always wanted a landrover 101 and i think i might indulge myself

I really want to meet some maoris and see what traditional poi is all about. I'd love to learn more about the origins of it all. I'm sure there is lots to learn. Of course i'll be able to do workshops on some of the more contemporary stuff. Wibbling, tangles and boxes spring to mind. I want to learn the persussion sid eof it as well as the meanings behind it.

So is there a lot of poi spinners in christchurch, what's the scene like? I'm assuming there must be since it's the home of home of poi Is it all fire based or are there lots of sock spinners? Do you throw your poi much or keep hold? How do maoris feel about all the 'contemporary' spinners in the west? Is it mainly a female thing, or do men do it too? So many questions....

Do you reckon poiple would be up for some payed tuition? I want to teach and perform more since i've been getting RSI and have spent too many years at my pc.

I'd love to see some traditional shows, i'm fully set up to make professional quality films for web or dvd. I'm sure there's lots of poiple round here that wanna see more traditional dances. Definitely get in touch if you are interested in any form of video making. Not necessarily poi, i'm interested in all the sphercular arts.

I've heard that there are set dances that tell specific stories. But i don't really know that much about it. What is it all about?

Aroha nui,

m