Go to article index for other editions of Bob Orrick's IN RE (In the Matter of).
New Zealand made Movies Lure Tourists to Kiwiland
By
Margaret Manning
New Zealand is now well and truly on the tourist map. Although we are still a long way from anywhere else, that minor fact of life doesn’t seem to matter any more. Visitors are pouring into this country by the planeload.
The three movies that told the story of the Lord of the Rings have had an enormous impact on New Zealand, although they are not the only films made here that depicted some of our stunning scenery. The Piano was filmed on Auckland’s wild west coast and attracted rave reviews. Parallel to LOTR, the film called Whale Rider has also had overseas success. The coastline in this movie is mostly along a lonely stretch of the North Island’s East Coast.
This article was prompted by a news item about the village where Whale Rider was filmed. A kuia (a respected older Maori woman) was asking for visitors to their settlement to observe Maori protocol. She said it’s fine for people to go to the beach and enjoy it. But when they come off the beach they head straight for the Marae (Maori meeting house) thinking anyone has the right to wander around and look at everything as one does at other tourist attractions. Anyone visiting a Marae must be officially welcomed on to the premises by someone from the local tribe.
Visitors should wait outside the boundary of the Marae grounds until the hosts are ready to welcome them. They will be "called" on to the premises by way of messages spoken first in Maori. The Hongi is one way of exchanging friendly greetings. It involves nose-to-nose contact – just a light pressing of noses is all that is required.
It is obvious when the time is right to step forward and approach the inner part of the building. It is usual for people to be welcomed onto Marae in groups rather than as individuals because of the amount of protocol that is observed.
Footwear should be left outside. If there are other people inside the Marae, it is usual to also Hongi with each of them. The Koha system (Donation) is a most acceptable way of saying Thank You to the hosts for permitting you to visit their Marae. Visitors might be invited to have a light snack or a meal in an adjacent dining area or they might not depending on what’s going on at the Marae at the time.
Maori people generally are very friendly and want to share their culture with others. But they do not take kindly to visitors arriving on their doorstep and expecting to have the freedom to go where they please.
Television also showed a documentary about some of the locations where LOTR was filmed, how the actors and crew were catered for, and how some of the props were devised. Apparently over 3000 costumes were made. One young man who worked in a bank was very good at calligraphy so he gave up his regular job to write the notes and messages used in the movies, although it was not made clear if he worked alone or whether there were several people doing similar work. There was a lot of it anyway.
For me the most interesting aspect was how the people doing mobile catering coped with preparing and serving so many meals each day. These vehicles seemed to be perched on top of mountains with no roads in sight. I wondered what they did if they ran out of tomato sauce or tea bags. Perhaps in reality they were not very far from Queenstown or Wanaka or wherever filming was taking place but it certainly came across as being in very remote locations.
I realise that places previously called "remote" will not remain that way for much longer after all the wonderful publicity for these movies – but I do hope we can continue with our unique way of life.
Margaret Manning was born in England but emigrated to N.Z. with husband Eric in 1966. She trained as a Shorthand Typist/Secretary and has had several interesting jobs, including a spell at an overseas mission in Fiji, and as a self-employed storekeeper. Margaret became interested in freelance writing when in Fiji and has had articles accepted by newspapers and magazines in N.Z. and overseas. Her other main interests are genealogy, cooking, Mah Jong and Croquet.
Margaret lives in the Far North of New Zealand near 90 Mile Beach.
Advertising Information 
