Maori Queen; Dame Dame Te Atairangikaahu
I headed back up to New Plymouth the night before so i could meet Stuart and plan the next day ahead of us.
Stuart and I headed off early to get up to the Marae as soon as we could. We battered up the road with no incident and arrived at the meeting house fairly early. We took some seats and watched the family and friends paying their respects through stories, songs, dance and Hakas. The atmosphere was heavy and silent and seemed to radiate a mix of pride, sorrow and respect. We watched for a couple of hours and the crowds were then given the chance to show their respects. We walked to the coffin. We could see her through the glass panel. I bowed low. Stuart got on his knees and kissed the Kiwi cloak that adorned the coffin.
We walked on feeling more than overwhelmed. We went down along the family and gave each one a Hongi (traditional Maori greeting where the noses are pressed together and the breathe of life is shared). We were dazed for the rest of the day. It passed like a blur and I eventually went back to our car to get some sleep.