by Stuart Fogg
KaUaTuahine Polynesian Dance Company was invited to perform at the Culture Moves Conference on Dance in Oceania, an event which was produced by the University of Hawai’i and Victoria University of Wellngton. It took place at Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand on November 9 - 11. Following is the account of the journey by Stuart Fogg.Getting to New Zealand wasn't as easy as it might have been. My bright idea was suggesting we bring our drummers who would make a much better impression than recorded music. True enough, but the fact we would also have to bring their drums somehow escaped me. So Mahea and I had to get a private shuttle to the San
Francisco airport for the two of us, our bags, and eight cartons of drums. I for one sure needed a shower by the time we boarded the plane, but an opportunity wouldn't arise for another 18 hours. The Air New Zealand 747 left only a little late, then 12-1/2 hours of 
typical airplane seats and typical airline food. At least the movies played on individual screens and could be started when desired.Under a stunning sunrise we finally found ourselves descending toward Auckland. Once on the ground we had to deal with New Zealand being a small, isolated country with a unique and fragile ecology. They take great pains to prevent the introduction of foreign plant and animal matter. Not us, the drums. They're made of logs and skins and had to be unpacked and inspected. Did I mention the feather costumes? Well, everything passed, so we didn't have to worry about performing naked in silence. However we were left with little time to make the connecting flight to Wellington. The shuttle bus to the domestic terminal was nearly full, so half of us ran over a kilometer pushing baggage carts. Despite these heroics most of us missed the flight. Fortunately it's a commuter run and we caught another plane just an hour later. Somewhere in the confusion we lost a warm shirt, a Walkman, and a pair of passports.
We stayed at the Wellington Youth Hostel, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The place was right downtown, within walking distance of everything, and just two blocks from Te Papa Tongarewa, where we would be performing. The staff people were helpful, friendly, and super efficient. They must have cleaned the public areas hourly. The rooms were pretty small, about 8x11' or 2.4x3.3m. I didn't mind, I'd rather spend my money outside of the room.The general aura was decidedly green - energy efficient equipment, recycling bins everywhere, and guests mostly younger people on their ways to and from activities involving backpacks. We saw a few older guests, most notably a man of maybe sixty years with long white hair and ears surgically altered to resemble those of a Vulcan - picture Mr. Spock down on his luck. He always seemed to be sitting alone.
The food was every bit as delicious as we had remembered. Even random restaurants in out-of-the-way places served up memorable meals. I got a kick out of introducing the dancers to the two-page dessert menu at Strawberry Fare, and I'm sure we ordered all of the choices.This was less of a shopping expedition than last year's trip, but we did find some pounamu (jade) gifts at Kura and an intricately carved wooden koauau (flute) at Te Papa. We also couldn't resist a few wool garments and a New Zealand All Blacks rugby shirt for Mahea.
The highlight of our trip was of course the show. The company rehearsed at the hostel almost every evening, and soon we had a notice proclaiming our presence and we attracted a large and curious crowd. In the midst of one especially energetic moment Mahea's tairi parau 
(bass drum) got tired of being beaten so and rolled off its stand and about halfway across the room. That would just not do in a
performance, so I spent the following day getting some wood, glue, and tools and building a sturdier stand.
At the show on Friday night the group hit the audience with a Tahitian performance which nearly blew the roof off the theater. Other highlights included the powhiri (Maori ceremonial greeting) which opened the conference and interesting talks by 
University of Hawai'i professor Katerina Teaiwa and Pacific Island University professor Epeli Hau'ofa.
On our return we knew the drum cartons would not be opened before our arrival in San Francisco, so we packed them up well with US$40 worth of duct tape. We allowed enough time
for the Auckland domestic to international sprint, but a couple of us who chose the bus managed to board a city bus rather than an airport shuttle. After a small adventure they got to the gate just in time. Back home we divided the drums and got through US Customs without much difficulty. After another long flight I'm ready to do the next trip to Aotearoa with layovers in Tahiti, Rarotonga, Fiji, or Samoa.
Photography
KaUaTuahine in performance at Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand from the air, on the way to South Island, Hoku sketching, after show party, practice at YHA, KaUaTuahine in performance at Soundings Theater, Tongan dancing by Lo'au Research Society & Tefisi Village Education & Development Trust, St John's Avalon Tongan Youth, Backstage at Soundings Theater
Our thanks to the photographers
Debbie Dang, Gabrielle Soria, and the conveners of Culture Moves! Conference on Dance in Oceania