Mystical Family Festival at the Maori Marae

Mystical Family Festival. My World for this week.
The Festival was held at the Maori Marae at Waikawa, not a place I have been to often as I am not a Maori person, so I was keen to take some photos.
When we arrived I straight away bought a Rose Quartz Crystal triangle to put on my windowsill with other interesting gem stones I have collected, then we went into the dining hall and enjoyed a lovely Devonshire Tea of coffee and a delicious scone topped with jam and cream. While we enjoyed the scone I looked around the big room, which was nicely and simply set out for the morning tea and later for lunch, there were many lovely Maori carvings totems and beautifully intricately carved wooden panels that told a story and had great meaning to the Maori people. I asked a lovely elder lady called a Kuia ( a respected older wise women )who had a pretty Moko (tattoo on the chin) if she would allow me to take her photo and she agreed.
We went back outside intending to visit all the little stalls that were set up around the grounds, but the first one I stopped off at was a Reflexology practitioner, I got talking to her and asked for a short session of the lovely foot massage. Wow it was so lovely, I had been working all night the previous night so I was pretty tyred, she just relaxed me and made me feel so much better i decided to have a double length session, it was well worth the price. After that I was so lanquid and relaxed that I didn't feel up to wandering around any more, so I made my way back to the car, on the way I past the big Meeting house with its lovely carved poles and panels, there was a group of visiting entertainers gathered on the steps as I took a photo in passing.
There was also some interesting stone art poles and carvings on top of the palisade around the Marae.
A very interesting place to visit, but I do wish I had been feeling less sleepy had taken more photos and looked at more stalls as there were people taking aura photos, doing healings and tarot readings plus massage artists and possably other types of mystical alternative forms of treatment that I never saw.

Maori Totem Pole at Karaka Point Picton

The view from Karaka Point, looking down the Marlborough Sounds, you can see the wake from a small launch cruising past; off for a days fishing maybe.
This is a Maori totem pole carving on the top of Karaka Point. This carving tells a story, but as I am not a Maori I don't know just what it says, but I imagine the story is about the ancient Pa (Maori Village) that was built upon the hill, at some point this village was over run and the inhabitants killed. This was in the past well before the white people came to new Zealand.

Another view of the Totem Pole, the man near the top is holding a patu which is a type of weapon used in battle by the old time Maori's, these Patu were made mainly of Greenstone or granite, polished and sharpened to a razor sharp edge.

This is My World for this week.
Be sure to check out all the other My World entries. This is my latest posting for the My World meme . It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar,Sandy, Wren, Louise and fishing guy. Here is part of 'My World'. http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/
My World