Author: George Maoate

Thursday 12th – A distant travel to Wellington

On our way down, we saw and  experienced new things like “Lake Taupo” which was very huge and “Mt. Ruapehu” which had a bit of snow at the tip of the mountain. We also saw a few army trucks, soldiers in training and passed the Army Museum at Waiouru. However, I know for sure that we all won’t forget about “Desert Road” which will always live up to its name.  There were a few cars passing us and also a number of trucks, although, seeing the absence of citizens and shops got me frightened because I knew that if we broke down on the bus, there won’t be any help around us.

We arrived at Wellington at about 3:00 p.m. and we couldn’t wait to get out of our sitting positions and move around. By the time we got to mama Akaiti’s house, we had lunch and then unloaded the band gear into the garage afterwards. Unfortunately, I had an infected foot so I stayed inside.

Not long after, we got tired. Luckily we had set our beds so we could fall asleep and so that’s what happened. I fell asleep early because my foot was aching and there wasn’t much to do outside. Therefore I thought to myself “I should get some rest since I’m all set” and so I did.

Friday 13th – Exploring Wellington/ Te Papa Museum

The following day seemed much better starting off with a beautiful sunrise, however the weather reports said it was going to end in tears later on and I wasn’t quite looking forward to it because we had already traveled through a bit of rain.

After having breakfast mama Akaiti, mum and I headed off to the hospital to change the dressing on my foot and knee. As they withdrew the fabric on my foot, I could see the swelling thus they had to pop the bubble so that water could leak out. By the time they were finished, mum recieved some of the medical equipment so that we can change it ourselves.

Once it was done, I went to buy a few snacks for us at Pak’n’Save.

As we pulled into the “Te Papa” parking lot, the little kids were ecstatic as they were jumping in their chairs with joy. Since we had a bus, dad parked in the “Bus Only” parking spot. Dad told us that we were a class and we were on a school trip.

By the time we were inside, he registered us onto the list and one of the staff members there helped us find our destination. When we got to the top of the stairways, another member came to show us around the 2^nd floor. She told about everything on each floor, about all the best stuff to look at and she even showed us how to use one of their mechanisms on the same level. Once she was finished, dad guided us through the N.Z. map, where we’ve travelled and the best places to have fun. He said that Taranaki is the best place to be if you want to surf, snowboard or do both. I guess whoever lives there is lucky to have the mountain and the ocean. So we carried on to the rest of the floors until all was cleared. We saw the colossal squid and how it was put into the museum, some ancient dinosaur bones, different types of ores that were from the center of the earth and also the Maori weapons and sculptures. The same staff member who showed us around the second floor kindly gave us free permission to go on the “High Ride” whilst mum and dad were looking after the little ones. They couldn’t go onto the the ride because their height wasn’t at the required level.

We also met Aunty Kathy there because she was on her way to pick up someone. When we were done, we went outside the museum to have lunch. Afterwards, we headed off to Aunty Kath’s house, though she was still on her way.

By the time she got home, dinner was already prepared and we were relaxing on the sofas watching TV. While we were there, we met Chris and Teresa. We had dinner, watched a movie half-way through, and then left at around 9:30 p.m. We got back at 10:30, prepared the beds, took the little ones in and went to sleep.

Saturday 14th - Uncle Mark’s 50th Birthday

The next morning was a big day not only for us, but also the family because we were the entertainers and the entertainment was for Uncle Marks 50^th birthday. Therefore we had breakfast, loaded the equipment back into the bus and shot off to Aunty Kathy’s. We picked up one of the relatives because she was going to show us where the hall was.

As soon as we arrived at our location, Aunty Jeanne and Uncle Andy were already there as well as Aunty Kathy, Shontae and the kids. Whilst dad was talking with Aunty Jeanne, all of us kids got the equipment out. We even got some help from Shontae. Nevertheless, when it was completed, we had a practice for the sound-checking. While we were playing, there was an unpleasant sound that kept screeching through the speakers. Abera had to modulate, turn off and try everything he could to see what the problem was.

Luckily Uncle Andy knew a bit about the mixer and the speakers and showed us where the problem was. Obviously the chord connecting to a speaker wasn’t in completely. So then the problem was solved and thanks to Uncle, we were sure not to have any issues during the performance. That which we were exceedingly grateful of.

We did a practice run for Shontae and when Samantha arrived, we did a practice run for both. We went through 2 songs a couple of times mainly for Shontae to pick up the actions. We did a final practice for her and then we did a practice for Jordan so that he could join in on the box dance and the Sunderland. After a last practice for Shontae, everyone shot off to go and get ready.

When we got back to Mamas, we had dinner, had a shower and basically got ready for the evening. Approximately 2 hours later, we were prepared and we returned back to the hall.

At the hall was Aunty Jeanne, Shontae, some other guests and some bartenders. A DJ was currently setting up his equipment in the corner for the party afterwards. We had a sound check once more to make sure that everything was set and a few minutes later we were singing songs for a couple of people who had just arrived.

The little kids were running around and seemed very hyperactive when they played with the helium balloons. By the time everyone turned up, the performance was ready to start.

“Can someone hit the lights please?” dad asked and so Aunty Jeanne turned them off. The first dance was “Purotu” which was done by Samantha herself. Everything was alright, except, no-one knew how to turn the lights back on and it wasn’t turned on until half way through the song. The alternative was to have Sam on the floor first, then our performance by the girls, then Sam and Shontae so that all the dancers have time to get changed into their uniforms. Sadly, there were a few delays on some areas because of the hold up with the changing.

However, we did manage to improvise and get back on track.

The next performances were done by our sisters who did “Mei to,” combined with “Tamahine,” then it was “E tai roimata” by Samantha and Shontae. After that was “Orau ra” by the three girls. Not many could see them because they were on the ground, although, there were a few people in the best seats at the front of the hall though. Then it was Shontae’s drum dance byherself followed by the “Box Dance.”

When we did the box dance, I thought that Jordan was going to jump in with the girls, but, he seemed to have changed his mind. Though it still would’ve been great to have someone else to join in with us. One of the twins also looked like a boy dressed in a full-black uniform and a cap which had a navy blue color with text saying “Maoate.” Everyone there was enjoying the show, probably because the portion of Pakeha’s there was bigger than the ratio of Cook Islanders. So we gave them a taste of what Cook Islands was all about.

Subsequently, it was the “Ura Piani” also known as “Around the World” following afterwards. “Left, right, forward, back” dad exclaimed. The only dancers with partners were Shine, Shontae and Sam. Shontae grabbed George for her partner, Shine grabbed Uncle Simon and Sam pulled Uncle Mark and her grandfather onto the floor with her. The first dancers on the floor were Shontae and Shine with their partners. I was looking at George because he said he wanted to do the haka, but was told not to. I think the most laughter for the night was from Papa Kore dancing with Sam. It was a special dance for her because she grabbed both her grandfather and the birthday man.

The final dance to close the entertainment was “Manea” which was done by Sam and was dedicated to Uncle Mark since it was his favorite song. He even sat at the front singing the song whilst watching the dance simultaneously. Sam wasn’t 100% sure about the actions, thus, she concocted some of her own actions which were similar to the words.

So we did half an hour of performance which was really short and we slotted some of Sam’s bits into our time frame.

After the final dance for the night, we began to pack the band gear whilst Uncle James, Aunty Jeanne and Uncle Mark said their speeches. Uncle Simon helped us to put everything on the side and even load it into the bus. Tukuneita and I were the stackers and I had to stow the speakers so that everything would fit as well as the mattresses going on top of the equipment. Unfortunately, after all the stacking, I found out that the green drum stands were unstable and there was a huge gap in the center going from the back door of the bus straight through the aisle. Therefore, dad said to leave it like it was and we’ll just stack it all again the following day. We had a few things to eat before we left like the fish nuggets and the sausage rolls. I enjoyed them very much because I was starving.

So 5 minutes later and we were off. We stopped into Pak’n’Save to get some drinks and biscuits to munch on. After that, we trailed behind Uncle Simon and Aunty Tavern to their house. At first, I thought they were in a big apartment, but when we got there, it was smaller than thought. It was so small that all of us had to squish in with each other and most of the seats were taken.

About 1½ hours later, we got everyone up and we left. At that time, I was so cold that my mouth was chattering and that’s what kept me up the whole time while we were returning back to Mama’s house. Therefore, I grabbed my jacket and made myself warm. As soon as we arrived, we all changed, jumped into our beds and went to sleep.

Sunday 15th – Families get together/ Journey back home

The next morning, all of us were up late as well as mama and papa. In the bedroom opposite us was Aunty Katy who I accidently mistakened for somebody else. We did the usual routine, except, the girls went to help mama clean up in the kitchen. On her way back the night before, she brought a box of food from the hall such as sausage rolls, nuggets and others. I was glad she bought it because I felt like something that would really fill my stomach. By the time we had breakfast, it turned out that Shine, Grace and I were the only ones eating them, though the others had biscuits and milo.

Afterwards, Abera went to set up the video camera to play on the television. Slowly, the family started arriving one by one. Soon the whole sitting room was packed and there wasn’t enough space for the others in the kitchen. We all watched the recording and Aunty Katy was joking around with dad about how she was a TV woman from the TVNZ company. However, I really doubted she was. As soon as it was finished, the kids went to have something to eat while the adults were talking and looking at some old family pictures. Some played on the Iphones, some were listening to music and some were talking about chocolate cakes (which includes Teina and I by the way).

Not long after, we all sung some songs and at that moment, there was a family spirit flowing throughout the atmosphere as everyone sung along. Whilst singing, Abera was transferring the video recordings from the cassette to Uncle Andy’s laptop.

After singing a couple of songs, Aunty Katy requested a family photo so we had it on the porch. There were a number of cameras going off as we stood there smiling for about 5 minutes. Teina decided to get the best spot and be on top of everyone as well. “Wow Teina, you had to take the “hot” spot!” Aunty Kath exlaimed. “Hahaha” I laughed as we joked about it.

Once the photos were taken, Sam, Jordan and their parents had to leave. By the time they were gone, the parents went into the kitchen to chat and have a coffee. Dad was the only parent in the sitting room with all of the kids and so he got the idea of getting us to jam together. We sung Pakeha songs similar to Nesian Mystik, Kolohe Kai and we even sung Bruno Mars songs. While singing and having fun, we got to meet our cousins Manea, Keenan, Teina and Cary.

After that, dad called us to go and pack the bus properly so that we were ready to travel early the next morning. So as the kids played outside, the five big kids re-stacked the equipment and the little ones helped mum pack all the bags. The stacking didn’t take too long because there was a number of hands team-working as one. The final equipments that still needed to be stacked were bigger but easy to slot into the remaining spaces.

After that, we went off to play with the others. We were joking around, having fun and just spending time together. Couple of hours later, they were all leaving therefore we remained outside to say our goodbyes.

Moments later, we had dinner, cleaned up and sat in the living room. Then dad told us that we were going to make a move and made a change of plan. Therefore we played along, said our final goodbyes to all and left.

On our way back, Tere played the music for mum and dad the whole way through from Wellington all the way back to Auckland. However the rest of us were asleep. I kept on waking up unpleasantly a few times because it was either my back started hurting or it was my neck. I know for sure that both were hurting no matter where I moved and how I positioned myself. So I kept waking up every 15-20 minutes which was frustrating. By the time we got home, it was 5:30 a.m. Dad, mum and Tere were the only ones who were exhausted. When we got into our beds, Abera turned the XBOX 360 game on and played “Left 4 Dead.” The little kids thought that it was a movie so they were happy to watch it. “Ah, I miss my cozzy blanket, my soft pillow and last but not least, my mattress!” I thought to myself “Home sweet home at last!” I guess everyone had a smypathy for me because we were all glad to be back home. That’s one thing I’m definitely sure of. So we all had a really nice, long, deep and satisfying sleep.

I’d like to acknowledge aunty Kathy, Sam and aunty Jeanne for the use of photos on facebook.

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Tere Maoate

Thursday 13th – Leaving Auckland

As we drove out of Auckland thankful that there was no traffic on the road, the climate changed very quickly when we came down the Bombay hill to go through the Waikato Expressway. It was a very long drive but serene on the roads with no cars and noisy trucks passing by. It was like being alone all by ourselves and nobody else to drive behind or watch go pass. I was a bit scared but on the optimistic side at least we had the highway all to ourselves.

We had quite a few breaks to go to the bathroom and we didn’t stop to buy anything until we arrived at Paraparaumu where dad’s aunty lived. As soon as mum and dad came back from the supermarket, we all dressed up in some nice clothes before we went to Mama and Papa’s house. When we arrived at their home I saw their faces light up and mum went to say “Kia orana” before we all went inside. “Yay”, said Tairi as he quickly took the seat that Tukuneita was going to sit on. When we went to meet them, I was surprised to see that both of them were very healthy and not ill. The reason is because when I go see my other Nana and Papa they are always in hospital.

Dad asked us if we wanted lunch, so Abera, George and I went into the kitchen to eat some sandwiches and it was delicious. All the little ones were famished as well so mum fed them until they were full. After everyone was done eating dad called a few of us to help him take our sleeping equipment inside and pack the band gear into the garage so it was all secure. It was very quick because there were heaps of us to help and Papa Kore lifted some of the heavy items for us. Once everything was out we all went inside to watch the news to see what was happening around the world.

All the adults were in the lounge watching TV while the younger ones mucked around with Mama Akaiti’s stuffed toy dog. Arbs and George were in the bedroom jamming and singing simultaneously so I decided to join them. We sang some of our favorite songs until we were too tired to do anymore. It was approximately 10:00 p.m. when we fell asleep.

Friday 15th – Visiting Te Papa Museum

The next morning the sun was shining gloriously through the window meanwhile dad and mum were at the shops buying breakfast for everyone to eat. As soon as they got back mum woke everyone up and told me to go cook the porridge. It only took 10 or 15 minutes to make and there was enough to pass around the table. When each one of us was full, Grace, Shine and I made a batch of jam and luncheon sandwiches lunch at Te Papa Museum. “Goodbye” said Peka as she walked out the door waving to Papa Kore.

Once we drove off, mum put some music on and we all  watched the different places we passed by until we  reached our destination and went in to check out  the amazing facts inside it. As we walked inside the huge building I felt like I was in Auckland’s big shopping mall except there were cool things lying around. I also saw a huge black ball which was placed in the water and some kids were playing with it. Before we could look at what was around, dad had to let the man at the front desk know who we were then we were able to continue.

On the first level a nice staff member told us about  how to get around and all the different stages before  she took us to the first room which was called “Our  Space”. It was awesome because they had an immense  map of New Zealand from the North Island to the  South on the floor glowing with lights. In the next  space a huge wall was filled with pictures and the  member showed us how to put ours up. When she had finished showing us how to use it, all of us quickly jumped onto a screen and started taking photos and putting them up onto the wide screen.

After that she left and we went around  looking at the different  scopes, the  room I  enjoyed  the most  was  where  the big squid  in the  glass was and where  all  the different  animals were on Level 3. Once  we were done looking at the birds the lady that showed us around asked Arbs,  George,  Shine, Grace, Tukuneita and I if we wanted to go on the high ride and we all said “Yes please”.

Before we went on dad introduced his cousin Kathleen to us and we told her our names then we all went. During the ride Tukuneita was scared because it was like the Motion Master at Rainbow’s End but longer, I really enjoyed it especially when the scary parts came up.I watched as she strived to relax and be positive but then she asked if she could get off. At the end we all said “Thank you” and went to look at the different parts. There was alot of statistics during our visit in the animals section and I really liked reading about them.

Later on in the afternoon we all had lunch and went to Aunty Kathleen’s to have dinner. Before we drove to aunties there were a few jobs that dad had sort out then we drove around to her house. When we got to their place Chris told mum that aunty wasn’t there so we all went in. After about 30 minutes my sisters and I were told to get the shopping in the bus and peel the potatoes.

It didn’t take long for us to get through the whole bag because it was only a little medium sized sack. Straight after we were done aunty pulled up in her driveway and walked in with a huge smile as she stared at everyone and then sat down. Later on that night we met two of her grandchildren and some of us were shy to meet them but the babies didn’t really care because they were looking at the toys. “Dinner’s ready” said mum as she took the pot of chicken out of the oven and mashed the potatoes for everyone. All the kids and some of the adults dished their plates and went to sit down on the table and in the sitting room. When it was time to leave my family and I kissed up and went back to Mama and Papa’s to sleep because everyone was tired.

Saturday 14th – Uncle Marks special day!

Today was the performance and a few of us went to help put all the band gear in the bus whilst the other half prepared breakfast. After we finished eating all of us went to the club to get our equipment set for tonight. When we were done doing the sound check we had to run through Sam and Shontae’s songs so they can practise. At about four everybody went home to get ready for the show and we went to back to fill our stomach’s because everyone was going to have little snacks at the birthday. Later on that evening we went back and everyone was dressed up in their nicest clothes while we were altered into our red mumu’s. Aunty Kathleen took some photos of us and the arrangement of the hall as mum talked with her friend Tayvin.

As soon as everyone arrived Aunty Jenny told them that my family and I were going to start so we got up to do the first number which was “Purotu” by Samantha. The lights were  going on and off as she danced graciously through the song in front of all the adults and teens but luckily it came on at the right time when we ended it. Behind her were my sisters and they were going to do another song meanwhile Sam and Shontay altered into a different costume. I saw several people singing “Rarotonga ko koe taku e poe nei” and they really enjoyed it as all the girls danced to it. Next up was an item that Sam wanted to do and before the whole program Shontay had to learn it, it was called “Tai romata”.

It was a beautiful song when they did their actions to it and almost everybody even Uncle Mark knew it so they sang while they were sitting down on their chairs. At the end my sisters went back on to do a very traditional song and it was called “Orau ra” which mum did when she was in Te Ivi Maori group which was back in the old days. As soon as they were done Shontay came back on and did a drum dance so that the girls can do the boys dance called “Box dance”. Behind that was the Ura Piani and I thought that was the best part to me that night because everyone was smiling and laughing. I also noticed that Papa Kore was having a laugh as he joyfully danced with Samantha and Uncle Mark.

The ending was dedicated to Uncle Mark and it was called “Manea” which was finished by Sam then dad closed us off with five or seven words.  We packed up the gear as some people stood up to give speeches then we all went to eat before we left to go to Uncle Simon’s and Aunty Tayvins house. Some of my brothers and sisters were tired as we sat on the couches waiting and staring at the tube while the parents were talking. After about an hour or so we all said “goodnight” and drove off. As we waited to arrive at Mama and Papa’s I began to get tired so I slept until we were at their home.

Sunday 15th – Hanging out with the family

The next morning we got up and stacked all the mattresses so that there was an adequate amount of space to put some bags in. Mama Akaiti and Papa Kore were already up before us and my sisters and I were told to go help her to make breakfast so we did.”No, don’t cook anything” said Mama as she grabbed a box full of the leftovers from last night and put it on the table, a huge smile showed up on to Shine and Graces face as they looked at the food. When everybody was filled Aunty Jenny and Uncle Andy came in with their sons so we moved off the sofas and onto the floor. At about 11:00 some of the family members that were at the event last night started coming in and we all watched the show we did. In the afternoon we sang some Cook Island songs then Aunty Katy decided to take some family

photos so everyone went out onto the deck and the cameras were clicking away. When we were done Sam and her family said “goodbye” to all of us and went back to her place.“Let’s have a jam” said dad as Abera played some tunes with some of our cousins watching him. George and I sang some English songs and Teina joined in by watching the chords that dad played on the guitar. At about 2:00 my brothers, sisters and I were told to be of assistance because we were going to put all our bags and other bits into the bus to go home on Monday. It took us only 30 minutes or so because there were hands to help and someone to lead too.

In the evening everyone went back home and it was just us left with peace and quiet around. Dad went to put some petrol in the vehicle before we leave tomorrow so he did, when he came back he said that we were going to depart tonight. Mum got the food packed and we took the leftover bags in the room into the bus then we said our last farewells and left. Driving all the way back to Auckland was a bit long but at least we got home safely. It was approximately 4:30 a.m. when we arrived and then dad,mum and I went to sleep while the others did what they wanted to do.

I would like to acknowledge Aunty Kathleen and Samantha for the use of their photo’s from facebook .

Day1: Packing/Preparing - Wednesday 11th May 2011

On Wednesday morning Abera, mum, and dad were up preparing the band gear and the costumes to put into the bus while the rest of us were sleeping. As soon as we got up, my sisters and I started to clean the top and the bottom floors before we leave the house. After organizing inside, a few of us started packing the gears into the bus before it rained. It took a while to prepare the paraphernalia but it was done. After having breakfast, we packed some food for us to take on the bus because of the long trip to Wellington. Soon afterwards dad started to think that it was a bad day to go (on Wednesday) because of the weather so then he decided to go on Thursday therefore and made today a day of packing. My family and I went to watch Justin Bieber’s movie. It was nearly at the end of the movie when suddenly the rain stopped then dad decided to go but everyone one had finished work and school plus we’ll be stuck in the traffic. So then we watched movies all day.

Day 2: Off to Wellington - Thursday 12th May 2011

Dad woke us up at half past three in the morning so we could leave at 4 o’clock so my sisters stacked the mattresses against the wall and went for a shower. As soon as everyone was ready I hopped inside the bus then off we went. It was a 12 hr ride from here to wellington plus mum commenced to time how long it was from place to place and so on. My family and I did dismissed a few times to go toilet but when we arrived to wellington dad stopped up at a food market to buy dinner. We all changed into our nice clothes before going to Dad’s Aunty and Uncle’s house which is 5 minutes from the shop. As my family and I walked inside the house, my brothers and sisters went to eat except for Grace and I who were watching TV. After having lunch the 5 of us went to unload the band gear and the blankets from the bus and in to the house and into Mama and Papa’s  garage. So we continued to watch TV then went to sleep, a couple of us were up having rice pudding.

Day 3: Te Papa Museum - Friday 13th May 2011

It was windy on Friday so then my family considered to go to Te Papa Museum instead of sitting in the house doing nothing. As we drove along the city I saw the parliament people organizing the a building and mothers with their babies in their prams. Dad parked the bus on the bus lane and told us kids to act as if we’re a school. It was amazing on level 2 because of the gargantuan quid in 3-D, putting pictures up on the wall which was fun and also the high rides. By the time we went inside Our Space I went to watch how New Zealand was separated from Australia then went to survey 3 different rocks, afterwards Dad thought of letting us 5  go and look around while he and mum look after the little ones. A few minutes later they were both talking to a Aunty Kathy. So then we went to introduce ourselves plus Tukuneita. When it was 3’oclock in the afternoon, my brothers, sisters and I went to level 5 to watch the scary house which was our last journey to look around Te Papa Museum. When the movie had finished, mum, dad and the little ones were approached towards us when dad asked us what was the room on his right, Tere answered back “it’s a children’s room”. My family and I took a quick peak at what was in there then went to have lunch outside the Museum.  As we ate supper, Dad asked us 5 if we wanted to go back inside the museum, then Abera said “no”. My family stopped at the Pack’n’save to buy dinner for when we go to Aunty Kathleen’s and eat there. When the sun was down and the moon was up my family and I left the house 20 minutes after Shontai and her friend arrived from the airport. Everyone had their jackets on then in the bus and back to Papa and Mama’s house.

Day 4: The Birthday- Saturday 14th May 2011

It was Saturday the 14^th May 2011, Uncle Marks 50^th Birthday. First thing in the morning for us to do was to pack the band gear into the bus from the garage then have breakfast. After having breakfast my family and I went to the hall to unload the gear, it took a few hrs to set up but as soon as Samantha was there she and Shontai began to practice their actions. Some of Samatha’s family came to watch. It was 6 p.m. so we had to have dinner before we perform then dressed in our mumu’s in addition to the white shirts for the boys. The plan was have dinner, get dress, pack the costumes and off to the hall.   The birthday starts at half past 7 p.m. so then the people had an adequate amount of time to come to the hall before it begins. Luckily Uncle Andy was there to see what was the problem with the  the speakers before everything starts. It was all pakeha’s except for the Puati Family. My sisters and I dressed in the woman’s bathroom with Shontay and Samantha. We all had enough space to dance around. As my sisters and I were dancing, Tukineita looked down without singing or smiling. Our numbers were Purotu, Mei ito, Tamaine, E Tai Roimata, Orau ra, Shontay with Slow and Fast Beat, Box dance, around the world, then Maine which was given for Sam to Uncle Mark. After all the dressing, dancing, and packing dad told us children to have a 5 minute snack before going to mum’s friends house. We stayed there for a while, it commenced to be 11 or 12 o’clock and everyone was felling tied so then we went back to Papa and Mama’s house then went straight to bed.

Day 5: Meeting the Whanau/ Travel back home - Sunday 15th May 2011

It was a lovely day but windy again. Later on after breakfast,  my sisters and brothers went and watched TV when suddenly Dad wanted to watch the video that Aunty Katie recorded last night. As it was playing the Puati Family came inside the sitting room slowly and ate the cake from Uncle’s Birthday which was the other half that someone left in the frigde. As the day continued, everyone played and talked,  Dad accumulated us 5 big kids to pack the bus for when we leave tomorrow. It started to get dark so the whanau left. Aunty Katie asked Dad if he needed to put petrol in the bus and he did. As he drove along to the petrol station he thought to himself to drive in the dark while there’s no a car or traffic and is strong to drive. So we made a move packed some food then kissed up then drove home. Dad, Tere, and Mum were up while the rest of us were sleeping. Once we made it back home safely Dad, Tere, and Mum went to sleep.

I would like to acknowledge aunty Kathleen, mama Katy, papa Mark, and big up’s to aunty Akaiti for the photos from Facebook

Day 1 – Thursday 12th

My family and I left home at 4:10 a.m. While dad drove, a few of us kids slept and the others  stayed awake. We made lots of toilet-stops on the way down and it was my dad who went to toilet most of the time.

After what seemed a long-time, dad and mum considered of two alternatives. One was to have breakfast or the other option was continue traveling. They chose the first option – to have a feed in Tokoroa. We all had chicken sandwiches except for Abera and George. While we ate, a police woman showed her police Shrek to us all. All the little kids were smiling and waving to it considering that it was real.

While dad was driving, everyone was bored as they sat leisurely on their seats. So dad made a pit stop to get his guitar out of its case for Arbs to play. Mum also joined Arbs by playing the uke simultaneously as to singing while the rest of us alternated positions.
We then decided to see mama Akaiti and papa Kore once we reached their destination. But before that, we parked at a car park surrounded with shops to change into our nice clothes and to buy lunch. Finally, we arrived at our parent’s aunty and uncle’s house. It took us 12 hours and 20 minutes to travel from Muriwai to where they lived.
Soon my brothers, sisters and parents had lunch excluding Shine and I. All of us kids then sized up and introduced ourselves to aunty Dian who just came back from work and who was mama’s daughter in the kitchen.

After that, dad, Abera, Tere, Shine, Tairi and I assisted to unpack the band gear into the garage and the sleeping equipment inside the house. Papa Kore helped us as well as finding space for the apparatuses. Before sun-down we organized and prepared our beds. A while later, Shine and I ate dinner with the younger kids while the others were asleep except for the parents. After we were finished the adults had their feed. Shine and I watched TV with Tanner till mum and dad went to sleep.

Day 2 – Friday 13th

The next morning I woke up, I had porridge with my twin sister and the 3 older ones. But mama and papa had a different morning feed. After all of us had eaten, we equipped ourselves because we were going the Te Papa museum. We wore warm jumpers and long pants because it was a little bit sunny and too windy.

My two sisters Shine, Tere, and I were called to make lunch for later on. We made jam sandwiches for the young kids and ham sandwiches for the older ones. Dad helped pack the lunch in a plastic bag before storing it into an original bag.

But there was one problem we had to wait till mum, George and mama Akaiti to return home from the pharmacy. So while we remained waiting, my sisters and I practiced tamahine and orau ra. Papa Kore sat in a corner behind dad singing orau ra along with Abera, Tere and dad. Then the three absent people returned. My family and I quickly then jumped inside the bus to go to the museum. As we turned right heading to the motorway, my siblings and even I waved at mama and papa.

We were all surprised because there were immense mountains with houses bunched up together during the journey through to the museum. We also saw sheep’s and cows on the huge hills eating grass. When we arrived to the museum, dad parked in a bus stop area as if we were from a school plus it had 2 mega buses behind us. Dad had to sign a form by the time we entered the door way of the big hall. We were on level 1 which was just the bottom so we went to level 2. Suddenly a member of the huge hall distributed dad a map of the whole building. She told us what each level had before she showed us something to do with pictures. Then she left. Soon dad emphasized to us the distance from Auckland to Wellington on a big map of our country that was attached to the wall. He again presented it on a picture of New Zealand but bigger and that appeared on the floor. Later then, we went to check out the awesome forces of stage 2. It had animals, sea creatures, and old species like dinosaurs as well.

Then my relations and I saw the squid that was captured overseas,  and was 2 yards long by 1 yard wide of the quantity. The area awesome forces had also the meteor rocks that destroyed earth in the past and statistics of how all the countries were separated. Dad devised a plan to let us older 5 and Tukuneita go and see the other levels. The reason because, the young ones would have to be irrigated and they would hold everyone up or they would go to different areas.

In a short moment, dad text-ed us to return back down to level 2 to see Aunty Kathleen. My brothers, sisters and I sized up then went back to what we were up to before. All the levels were not interesting excluding levels 2, 3, and 4. The last places we went to was the high ride which I enjoyed and into a spooky house. After we came out of the scary house, we saw the little ones with mum and dad walking pass. Last of all, we went to see a couple of drums in a kid’s area then went back outside to the bus. It only took us 1 ½ hours in the museum.

We got our lunch from inside the bus and ate it in the sun with a windy climate. Some of us exerted chips onto our ham sandwiches which was absolutely yum and tasty. After lunch, we drove to the nearest pak’n'save to buy dinner for us all to eat at aunty Kath’s place.

Our cousin Chris opened the door of aunty Kath’s house as soon as dad knocked on it with our bus in the background. We all met Chris and Charisse when everyone was in the sitting room. Meanwhile, my sisters and I prepared the table and cutting boards to peel and chop the potatoes we bought for dinner. By the time we began the process of peeling and chopping, aunty Kathleen appeared along with her daughter, Teresa, also her grand-children Samson and Whitney.
Aunty Kathleen showed up with her daughter and grand – children. It was nearly sun – down, as my siblings and I played with our cousins toys. Not long till dad told us girls to go for a shower. Each of us had a short wash so we won’t finish the hot water. By the time we were done, all of us girls saw everyone eating chips in the sitting room. It was only a snack because the whole family had to wait for the chicken to be cooked. The only thing we done was watch TV and play with toys.

Once dinner was ready and the tables were set, some of us gathered around the table to dish our own plates. The little kids were eating in the sitting room on aunt’s small table in front of the TV whereas us big one’s ate on the table and bench in the kitchen next to the dining room. After Abera, Shine and I finished eating we dried and washed the dishes whilst the others cleared some of the plates and scraps of food off the table. The little kids played with Chris until Shontae and Leon arrived. They had dinner with the adults at the same time as to talking to each other. Not long until Teresa, Chris, and Leon left the house. We left as well after 15 minutes or half an hour with Shontae and aunty Kathleen. Everyone was tired and went straight to bed as soon as we all returned to mama Akaiti’s house.

Day 3 – Saturday 14th

The continuing morning, I woke up and had breakfast with my family, mama Akaiti, and papa Kore. It was the same breakfast from yesterday. Then us kids went to prepare our sand – shoes while the adults were still chatting and eating. But my 2 older sisters and I were called to chop the chicken instead mum did it reason because we didn’t know how to followed by storing it in the oven afterwards.

We left the area and went to pick up Charisse who was still at home to take her to the club. Dad strived to work out where to park the bus as well as Charisse did. Then, Charisse strangely got out and followed a truck to the back of the club. Soon we parked the back of the bus to the entrance door. Before we extracted the band equipment out of our transport, my siblings and I went to meet two people in the club. Subsequently, we began to set the band gear.

But when dad and the others had a sound check something went wrong. So Abera and dad had to sort it out while aunty Dian, Kathleen and the little one’s blew up balloons. After they sorted it out and had another go of the sound check it still went wrong. However, dad got a man called Andy to help solve the problem. He told dad it was the big speaker on the side of George because one of the chords was not plugged in properly.

Then we had a practice to dance to manea with Shontae. By the time we were finish and playing with balloons, Samantha and other people entered the door. We had another practice to show what the plan was. First was Sam to do purotu. Then she and Shontae did tai roimata. We did the box dance and the sunderland afterwards with Jordan. Final practice was the actions to manea with both female grown-ups.

After 2 hours or 1½ hours everyone went back home. Mum and dad wanted to visit uncle Simon and aunty Tayvin but they weren’t sure where their street was. So we headed back to mama and papa Puati’s place. It was nearly sun – down when everyone had a banquet. The boys changed into their black and white uniforms although us girls went for a shower and altered into our red cook island mumu’s. We dancers accumulated our other costumes into our own bags to carry to the birthday. Afterwards, we went inside the bus again wearing our jumpers and jackets to keep warm. By the time we got to the club we parked in a corner outside. Us performers took our uniforms and saw aunty Katy when our whole family walked through the door way.

We dancers took our bags in the ladies bathroom and took off our warm jackets and jumpers. There were a lot of pakeha’s than brown people.Meanwhile, my siblings and I mucked around and took pictures of ourselves until Samantha arrived. The moment the main lights were off and uncle Mark’s young sister made an announcement, all of us dancers prepared ourselves for the performance.

Samantha was the first to dance to purotu. Unfortunetly, the woman who made the announcement forgot and rushed to turn the lights back on.

After her recital, we young performers acted to mei ito and tamahine. Sam and Shontae did tai roimata afterwards. But I had a problem finding my boob tube so I used Sam’s top and was able to get back on show again to do orau ra. Then it was Shontae’s turn to do a drum dance.Next, was the box dance and around the world. The final performance was a dedication to uncle Mark and it was manea by Samantha only. Meanwhile, my family and I quickly packed the band gear inside the bus. Dad told us kids to go eat because we only had 5 minutes left before it was the adults period of time to have beers so we did. After that, we followed uncle Simon and aunt Tayvin to their house but we stopped at a shop to get some drinks. As soon as we went inside their house, we met little Simon who was 13 years old and his older sister. We watched TV and ate chocolate. A while later we left saying “good-bye” twice. When we were back home at mama and papa’s, some of us walked straight to where our beds were and went to sleep.

Day 4 – Sunday 15th

Then next morning, I lied on my bed till dad told us girls to go have breakfast as well as our brothers. We had the left over’s of last night’s kai aunty Katy brought home. Soon, relatives from last night came to visit while Abera connected the camera chord to the TV so we can watch the video of the birthday. Everyone relaxed and sang songs after it was finished.

Then we took family photos outside on mama Akaiti’s and papa Kore’s deck. The adults were in the kitchen while all the kids were in the sitting room singing english songs. At day time, my relations and I went to pack the band gear into our transport. Everyone went back home a while later. That evening dad came back from a petrol station and said it was good for us to travel back home because he felt fresh so we did. We got food from mama Akaiti for us to take plus the left over cake of uncle Mark. Dad, and mum stayed up while Tere played music to keep them both awake. It took us 10 hours to get back during the night and we were safe.

I want to acknowledge aunty Kathleen, Chris, and Charisse for the use of their photos from Facebook and I would like to give a big acknowledgement to aunty Katy for the pictures of the performances