14.1.13

Ia ora na i te matahiti api 2013!

We've been in the midsts of our january celebrations, so it feels very much like the holidays are still in full swing. Thursday was the last day of the TERE, which consists of each of our three villages, in turn, hosting a collective island tour, starting and ending at the host village. Thursday was 'Auti's turn. The participating cars (or at one time horses) are decorated and the whole affair makes for an excuse to get dressed up. Here are the girls and our car looking rather festive for Moerai's tere last week.
In each village, the cortege of a hundred or so cars and numerous motorbikes stops, and the village offers refreshments and the participants are invited to try their hand at stone-lifting.

There are other stops at important historical landmarks around the island, each tour chooses their own orero, who recites the history of the island en route, upon arrival once more at the host village the tour is finished but the same evening there is a feast and show held in the village, with much revelling and dancing until 3am. It's a lot of fun, though I had to limit lmyself on the revelling, being almost eight months preggers and looking fairly round now!



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