Just north of Auckland on the beautiful east coast is Pakiri Beach. Here the Haddon family, who are direct descendants of the great Ngatiwai Rangitira (Chief) Te Kiri, live and farm the coastal land over which he once held dominion. Today we will travel up to the vast white sands of Pakiri Beach to sample food prepared in the traditional manner - in the earth oven called a “hangi”. This is a traditional Polynesian style of cooking in which the food is steamed over hot rocks.
The hangi pit will be dug in the sandhills above the beach. A fire is then lit in the pit to heat the rocks which will cook the food. We will let the locals do this before we arrive so we can see the following stages in which the food is placed on top of the rocks in baskets and then covered with wet cloths and sealed with soil.
The hangi will take up to three hours to cook so while it imbues the food with its special flavours there is the option to enjoy a horse ride on the beach with one of the Haddon family guides or to go to nearby Motu Hawere (Goat Island) marine reserve.
If you wish to ride Sharley Haddon has well over 100 horses - so there will be one to suit your level of riding experience from “none” to “tyro” If however you prefer something less active, take the trip in a glass bottom boat to to Motu Hawere to view the bewildering array of fish, corals, rays, crayfish, and octopus, and the thick carpet of seaweed that adorn the seabed. Motu Hawere is one of a growing number of marine reserves around the coast of Aotearoa-New Zealand where no fishing is allowed, permitting fish stocks to be replenished.
The opening of the hangi signals the start of festivities with the succulent food to be accompanied by beverages from Maori producers. Sharing of food with good conversation is a key elements of Maori culture, captured in two whakatauki (maxims). The first states “He Kaikorero te Rangitira” - speech is the food of a Chief, while the second says “Ma roto hoki kia ora ka pai te korero” – if the inner man is refreshed, the conversation will be sweet.
After the meal we will make our way back to Auckland stopping at interesting locations en route. This will include the Parry Kauri Park outside Warkworth where you can view an example of the magnificent Kauri Tree which in some places grow to a trunk girth of almost 14 metres. Other stops may include a vineyard, a honey centre and a cheese factory.
