Please Pray that Thai Customs Releases Toy Donations

One of the Akha babies I met last year!!! There are a lot of baby toys in the box of donations - please pray Thai Customs will release it FAST!

Dear Friends,

I need your prayers.

Thai Customs has been holding a box of SECOND-HAND TOYS, DONATED by my friends in Manila. The toys are gifts for the children of an Akha tribe living in the mountains of Doi Mae SaLong. The little baby boy in this picture is one of the kids waiting for the toys.

There is no problem with the shipping company but the Customs folk have decided to hold on to the box. I’m sorry I can’t get into specifics except that we have already sent them the extra documents they are asking for.

Counting on your PRAYERS for the quick release of the box. Pray that the Customs officials will soon realize  that the box is filled with love from Manila to Mae Salong.

Warm hugs,

joyce

the blogging beauty queen

These Akha children are the recipients of the DONATED TOYS. I met them during my trip last year to Doi Mae Salong, Chiang Rai, Thailand

The Box of Toy Donations!

My friend Owie hanging out in church with an Akha child

My little Akha friend... I HOPE to God that I can bring you the toys you're waiting for...

Traveling Tiara: Working Out on a Rice Field in Chiang Rai, THAILAND!

Ron T. with the blogging beauty queen on a rice field in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Adventures of a Beauty Queen is currently in Chiang Rai, the nothernmost province in Thailand!!! I am super-blessed to have been invited to facilitate a workshop here on blogging.

People who know me well, know that no matter how busy I get and no matter where I go, I NEED to get my exercise in. The body is THE TEMPLE so I need to keep it buff and beautiful!

So on Day 1 of our working vacation here, my hubby Ron and I ventured out of our little Thai house and found ourselves a rice field just minutes away. Ron has some experience in walking through rice fields thanks to occassional visits to his farming relatives in Bicol; but I have NEVER had the chance to prance through the green blades of a rice field.  Actually, you can’t really do that anyway because rice fields are swimming in muddy waters that are covered in algae.

Spotted this dewy spider net in the rice field...

ICK!!!

So you don’t prance through rice plants. Instead, you prance on the little ridges or pathways that snake throughout the field. To be safe, forget  prancing and just walk.

By the end of our 45 minute exploration, my thighs and calves were aching and my one sneaker and corresponding sock were all muddy thanks to a slip. But it didn’t matter, I was happy to be back in beautiful Chiang Rai doing something a little silly…

blogging beauty queen prancing in the rice field!

Filipina Super Model Chat Almarvez Poses for Top British Designer

Filipina Super Model Chat Almarvez (right) in an Alexander McQueen creation. Photo from the March 2010 issue of V Magazine!

Congratulations to Filipina Super Model Chat Almarvez who placed 1st runner-up in the Super Model of the World 2010 competition last January! She landed on the pages of V Magazine (March 2010 issue) in her first major assignment modelling for the late Alexander McQueen!!!

Alexander McQueen is the famous British ’shock-fashion’ designer who reportedly committed suicide last February. He was lead designer for Givenchy for five years before venturing out on his own. Alexander McQueen’s clothes have been worn by Bjork, Lady Gaga and Rihanna and now, our very own, Chat Almarvez. In spite of his death, the Alexander McQueen brand will continue to produce and distribute high quality fashion.

Great job Chat Almarvez! You make the Filipino PROUD!!!

Check out photos of the night Chat Almarvez won the Philippines Super Model title.

Click here to see my interview with Chat Almarvez BEFORE she won 1st Runner-up in Super Model of World 2010.

Here is the story when she won 1st Runner-up in the Super Model of the World 2010.

Here is short post-win Q&A with Chat Almarvez.

Are you HAPPY with the Bb Pilipinas 2010 Winners?

This is how I thought the Top 3 would be:

Gwendoline Ruais, Ma. Venus Raj and Krista Arrieta Kleiner.

However, my favorite girl Gwendoline did not make it and I think it was mostly because of her disjointed Q&A. She also did not shine as much on the Araneta stage compared to when I saw her first at the Talent show in Ali Mall.

My two other favorites did extremely well: Ms. Venus Raj won Bb. Pilipinas Universe and Krista Arrieta Kleiner nabbed Bb. Pilipinas International . Also disappointed that my sentimental favorite Laurese Ann Caparas did not enter the Top 10. I felt she should have been included. Was also sad that the lovely Selena Antonio was left out of the Top 10.

I think most people agree that the Bb. Pilipinas World winner, Czarina Gatbondon was a dark horse. Although she was in my Top 8, I did not expect her to win a title. However, I think she clinched it when she decided to answer the Q&A in Pilipino. She was the only one to opted to do so.

The question was something like: If you could live your life again, what would you be? And she said, in very nervous Pilipino, that she would like to be a tree to give shade to people. She kept it short and sweet and I think that THAT was pretty smart. Sayang lang, she could have delivered it with more conviction and confidence. Oh well, we’ll just have to trust that beauty queen trainer Wilma Doesn’t will give her extra public speaking sessions to prepare her for the Ms World pageant.

None of the girls really gave memorable answers (except for the tree answer mentioned above) BUT there were no extremely bad answers either – AND LET’S ALL HEAVE A CORPORATE SIGH OF RELIEF !!!

So, are you HAPPY with the Bb. Pilipinas 2010 Winners???

Bb Pilipinas 2010 WINNERS!!! L-R, 2nd Runner-Up Helen Nicolette Henson, Bb. Pilipinas International Krista Arrieta Kleiner, Bb. Pilipinas Universe Ma. Venus Raj, Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbondon and 1st Runner-Up Dianne Necio

The Winners of the Bb Pilipinas (Ms Philippines) 2010 ARE….!!!

Who will win the 3 Bb. Pilipinas Crowns TONIGHT???

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE PICTURES OF Bb. PILIPINAS 2010 CORONATION AND LIST OF WINNERS…!!!!!

Getting really nervous now as I put on my face for tonight’s Bb. Pilipinas Beauty Pageant. I am wearing a bright orange and white Hawaiian gown to the BIGGEST pageant in the Philippines. I know that orange, white and Hawaiian sound horrible on print but wait til you see me tonight…

Anyway, all I could think of today was what my friend  (and beauty pageant fan) Eton Bonifacio said on Facebook: today is like Christmas day for all gay Filipinos (most likely he meant male gays, LOLOL) and so I wished him a Merry Christmas!!!

But kidding aside, Eton was very sincere in making that comment; I have discovered, after keeping this blog about beauty pageants and beauty queens for a little over a year now, that a big chunk of my readers are not lustful men but homosexual guys who get all starry-eyed when women are dolled up to compete for who’s prettiest.

Beauty Pageants are like THE HORSE RACE of the year for the average gay guy. They will choose thier top bets and get into a nasty word war with those who choose differently. Gay guys also TREMENDOUSLY enjoy picking on beauty contestants, finding faults that the average Joe or Jane would have NEVER ever noticed.

So, my dear pageant loving fans, tonight is THE night we will find out which three ladies will carry the three crowns: Bb. Pilipinas Universe, Bb. Pilipinas International and Binibining Pilipinas World. My top three candidates are Gwendoline Ruais (Universe), Krissa Arrieta (International) and Venus Raj (World).

TO ALL MY GAY PINOY FRIENDS – enjoy your holiday TODAY!!

Don’t forget drop by later on at around 2 or 3 am (Manila time) March 7, 2010 to check out my PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS and the complete list of Bb Pilipinas 2010 winners!!!

Good luck to all the candidates!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alright, it’s almost 2 in the morning and I am back home after watching the FASTEST ever Bb. Pilipinas Coronation night. For the first time in two decades, the pageant ended BEFORE midnight!!! Right after the pageant, we celebrated the victory party of the Bb Pilipinas 2010 winners in the Gazebo of the Araneta Coliseum.

Although I was happy that it was over fast, I felt like this pageant wasn’t as bongga as last year. The reason for the shorter pageant was that Bb. Pilipinas held a pre-pageant for the first time ever, a week before coronation night. That’s where they held the swimsuit and the long gown competition.

Anyway, here the winners of the Bb. Pilipinas 2010 Beauty Pageant:

Bb. Pilipinas 2010 WINNERS: L-R 2nd Runner-Up Helen Nicolette Henson, Bb. Pilipinas International Krista Arrieta Kleiner, Bb. Pilipinas Universe Ma. Venus Raj, Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbondon, 1st Runner-Up Dianne Necio

Bb. Pilipinas Universe – Ma. Venus Raj (one of my top 3 picks)

Bb. Pilipinas International – Krista Arrieta Kleiner (one of my top 3 picks)

Bb. Pilipinas World – Czarina Gatbondon (in my top 8 shortlist)

1st Runner-Up – Dianne Necio

2nd Runner-Up – Helen Nicolette Henson

Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1985 Joyce Ann Burton (c'est MOI!!!) with newly crowned Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2010 Ma. Venus Raj (right)

Congratulations to the newly crowned winners of the Bb. Pilipinas 2010 Beauty Pageant: L-R 2nd Runner-Up Helen Nicolette Henson, Bb. Pilipinas International Krista Arrieta Kleiner, Bb. Pilipinas Universe Ma. Venus Raj, Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbondon and 1st Runner-Up Dianne Necio

SPECIAL AWARDS…

Miss Fit ‘n Right – Candidate #18 Nicolette Henson

Best in Swimsuit – Candidate #11 Krista Arrieta Kleiner

Miss Friendship – a tie between Candidates #10 Ma. Venus Raj and #19 Kate Princess Alimurong

Miss Talent – Candidate #11 Krista Arrieta Kleiner

Best in Terno – Candidate #10 Ma. Venus Raj

Miss Philippines Airlines – Candidate #18 Nicolette Henson

Best in Long Gown – Candidate #10 Ma. Venus Raj

Texter’s Choice – Candidate #7 Laurese Ann Caparas

Bulletin Reader’s Choice – Candidate #21 Czarina Gatbondon

Araneta Shoppers’s Choice – Candidate #4 Selena Alexis Antonio

Miss Photogenic – Candidate #18 Nicolette Henson

Miss Friendship and Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2010 Ma. Venus Raj

The other Miss Friendship Kate Princess Alimurong

Krista Arrieta Kleiner wins Best in Swimsuit in the Bb. Pilipinas 2010

Helen Nicolette Henson wins Ms Philippines Airlines

Ma. Venus Raj wins Best in Long Gown

Laurese Ann Caparas wins Texter's Choice!

Czarina Gatbondon wins Bulletin Readers' Choice

Selena Antonio wins Araneta Shoppers' Choice

Helen Nicolette Henson wins Miss Photogenic

ABQ Reviews The Polynesian Spa, Rotorua, New Zealand

LEAVE A COMMENT AND WIN A NECKLACE AND MANUKA SOAP BAR FROM NEW ZEALAND. Click here to see how you can join!

After 4 days of listening to our wonderful speakers at the annual UCB Forum, I found myself terribly stressed out and suffering from a lower back ache that WOULDN’T go away no matter what position I assumed.

Thankfully, I had an appointment at the Polynesian Spa which was right behind the Roturua hotel we were staying at. Spas are known to be therapeutic, especially for stressed out aching bodies like mine, so I was looking forward to the visit.

Approaching the Polynesian Spa... will it be as good as I hope? Looks like it!

Greeting me at the entrance was the Cafe (serving sandwiches, paninis, salads and soup, cakes, muffins and veggie options) and the lovely little Spa Essentials store filled with pampering products like Polynesian Spa Salts (which I bought for pasalubong , Rotorua Mud Masks, various luxury soaps, perfume, swimwear and other touristy favorites.

I was not TOO surprised to meet two Filipinas working at the store but was floored when one of them happened to be close to a good friend of mine! The Pinoy is not only global but also extremely NETWORKED!

Now, it was time for my Polynesian Spa tour and swim!

42 degrees... that's one HOT Priest Pool!

First, we checked out the Adult Pools and Priest Spas…

The miraculous Priest Spa was first discovered by a Catholic priest in 1878. Father Mahoney was suffering from severe rheumatism but after soaking in a warm hand-dug pool, he found relief! To this day, people suffering from conditions like rheumatism, etc. visit the Radium waters of the Priest Spas for therapy; there are even organized ‘arthritic tours’ for the elderly.

Heated Adult Pool filled with deep spring hot alkaline water... can't wait for my HOT swim!

Honeymooners and lovers can find alone time in one of the 13 Private Hot Mineral Rock Pools…

The temperature in the Private Pools are kept at a soothing 39 degrees and come with private changing rooms and a shower.

But since my hubby Ron was not with me (left him behind at the conference, LOL!) I was better off trying the other pools.

Private Pool with a VIEW!

Enclosed SUPER Private Pool...

Families also have pools they can bring their kids to!

Do you have active kids who might be little rambunctious? The Family Spa is perfect for your bouncy wee ones It doesn’t have a view, but then again, if you’ve got children around, it’s best to keep your eye on THEM!

The main pool is chlorinated freshwater with a shallow section for smaller kids and a slide for the hyper-active. Behind the main pool you’ll find two hot mineral pools (37 and 40 degrees) where you can chill out (or boil yourself, LOL) while watching the kids.

Can children enter the hot pools? With caution and only for a short while – hot pools can make you VERRRY thirsty. Might be best to keep them in the main pool unless they’re older teenagers

The Family Pool! Wheeeeeee!!!

The Polynesian Spa also features several Spa Therapies that involve:

Getting down and dirty with a Rotorua Mud Body Polish (ngarrrr!)

A sticky situation with a Manuka Honey Body Wrap (yummmmy

A whole body massage for stress therapy (ooooh, I need this one!)

Super warm stones massaging your pressure points (do they know what buttons to press?)

A Kiwifruit Souffle Session that includes a salt scrub, some wrap time and a MASSAGE! (heaven on urrrth!)

There’s MORE if you click HERE!

The HydroMassage Room

One of the Polynesian Spa's luxury massage beds...

Lounge around one of Polynesian Spa's comfy chill out rooms before or after your Spa Therapy and Lake Spa swim...

AND NOW, the Lake Spa Swim… this is what I came to the Polynesian Spa for. My aching back needed relief and my tired eyes needed to see some envigorating scenes.

The Polynesian Spa’s Lake Spa consists of 4 pools that overlook the stretch of Lake Rotorua. The view is astounding – with giant steam clouds lifting up from the right end of Rotorua Lake. Fish avoid that area because of the high sulphuric content brought about by geothermal activity underneath. But even without that explanation, Lake Rotorua is a beauty to behold.

My first dip was in the 36 degree pool. It was between ‘just right’ and warm. I could have stayed in this one forever since the temperature was like my bath and the view was superb. Even better – there was nobody in the pool except for me!

The 36 degree Lake Spa pool...

Still can't believe the beauty of this place...

The best way to enjoy the Polynesian Spa’s Lake Pools is to move from a cooler pool to a warmer one. So after 10 minutes of soaking in 36 degrees I sashayed over to the 38 degree pool. It’s amazing how 2 degrees can make a big difference! It was clearly hotter but after the initial dip, it became very comfortable. Sigh… I could stay here FOREVAH and play among the ROCKS!!!

38 Degree Pool, here I come!!!

I can handle 38 degrees!!!

After another 10 minutes, it was time to move to warmer grounds – the 40 degree pool!!!

Boy, let me tell you, I could feel the heat! Thankfully the 36 and 38 degree dips helped my body adjust to the warmer temp and 40 degrees was fine as can be after I got in and lolled around.

I just have to say LOLLING is really the thing to do here. Lolling AND dipping and floating (if you are the bouyant type). And of course staring at Lake Rotorua and the sky. I could feel the stress of the past four days of conference sessions just being washed away. This WAS grand…

40 Degrees! I'm swimming in a FEVER!

Blogging Beauty Queen getting a little frisky in 40 degrees!

Last but not the least – the 42 degree pool. I felt toasty warm like a marshmallow on a bonfire. Okay, I’m exaggerating but you know what I mean.

I was warned to bring a big glass of water to keep hydrated but in my rush to experience Polynesian Spa’s Lake Pools I had FORGOTTEN to bring a water bottle. Duh!

So, I had to cut my 42 degree dip down to about 4 or 5 minutes because I was getting seriously thirsty.

Too bad! I did not want to leave so soon because out of all the 4 pools this one was my favorite – it had the best view of Rotorua Lake and felt more private than the other 3 pools.

42 degrees!!! I break into a sweat just THINKING about it!

I'm in HOT WATER now!

View of Rotorua Lake from the 42 degree pool...

After my Polynesian Spa adventure MY BACK FELT MUCH BETTER! I had even forgotten about it until later in the day when I realized my back was better.

All I can say is that I want to come BACK (LOLOL!) to Rotorua and visit the the Polynesian Spa AGAIN! Although it IS pricey, I think the value is worth it if you have the budget to burn.

The most expensive thing on the plate are the Spa services. Click here to see more…

Out of all the pools, the Lake Spa swim is the steepest at NZ$40. On the other hand, one might consider the private pools (with a view) the priciest since the NZ$25 per head is only good for 30 minutes.

As I said, if you have the budget to burn (and if you need a break from you vacation rush) then I totally recommend the Polynesian Spa!

All the prices mentioned above were in effect at the time this blog was written. Please check this page to see if any changes were made.

Hoping to stop by the Polynesian Spa again!!!

Check out Polynesian Spa’s Promotional Video…

Manuka, Merienda ala Maori and Mythology: Te Puia Visit PART 3!!!

Te Puia Village in Rotorua in New Zealand is a GREAT place to visit if you want to know more about Maori culture and experience a little bit of the Maori lifestyle. Click here to see Te Puia’s website!

Sandra talking about the Manuka Bush

MANUKA BUSHES

This blogging beauty queen’s adventures continue with a lesson in biology and theology: Manuka Bushes (known as Tea Tree to us) are highly IMPORTANT to New Zealand because their itty bitty florets are poked at by local bees who produce the world-famous Manuka Honey. If you crush the tiny leaves between your hands, it releases a fragrant garden smell.

But as you can see in the photo above, Manuka bushes look so UNIMPORTANT. I would’ve totally ignored them if Sandra hadn’t told us that this boring-looking plant is the source of one of the best honeys in the world! I couldn’t help but think of how God often uses the small and insignificant to create the big and wonderful things in this world…

But, back to Manuka Honey – this sticky golden ‘ooze’ is believed to be highly therapeutic and even medicinal – it can fight all sorts of body issues like eczema and stomach ulcers. My friend Nikki, who is Kiwi, recommends UMF Manuka Honey with a rating of 10+ or higher. The higher the UMF, the healthier (and pricier) the honey. Click here to read up on Manuka Honey’s benefits!

We bought a little bottle in one of the touristy Rotorua stores to take home to the Philippines. If I am not mistaken, you can find Manuka Honey at the specialty store Healthy Options in Metro Manila: it has branches in the Shang, GB5, Trinoma etc.

My jar of Manuka Honey recieves a lick of approval from Ramses!

MERIENDA ALA MAORI!

This was THE highlight of my Te Puia visit after seeing the Pohutu Geyser! You can have the grandest canyon before me but that will always pale in comparison to delicious food. At least for me!!!

So, we have come to the food part of our Te Puia tour. I discovered that one of the ways Maori people cook thier food is by dipping it into a cooking pool! In the heart of Te Puia Village lies the Ngararatuatara Cooking Pool which has been used by generations of Maoris. Our group was going there to have a Maori-style Merienda!!!

Our lovely chef working hard to feed us as he steams our merienda in the Ngararatuatara Cooking Pool

The pool above is a natural alkaline spring which is constantly boiling and flowing. The flax basket or ‘kete’ Mr. Chef is dangling over the pool holds the food. All it takes is a minute or two for the grub to be fully-cooked so I guess you can say that the Maori people have had thier own version of ‘microwave cooking’ long before electricity was discovered!

Mr. Chef with the kete bags containing our merienda for the day!

On the plate: Shrimp, Mussels and Corn, all cooked in the hot pool. The lovely chunk of bread was baked in a conventional oven...

Three different sauces: L-R Chutney, Avocado Oil (which was like Pesto) and Kawa Kawa (reminded me of Hummus)

Blogging Beauty Queen eats Maori-Style!

Notice the glass of champagne in my adorable photo? That is an attempt to correct a SERIOUS flaw in Maori Culture: they are one of the few peoples on earth to have NEVER developed a native alcoholic beverage. ALAS and ALACK!!! But thanks to human ingenuity, New Zealanders have caught up with the rest of the world with thier lovely wines and champagnes!

MAORI MYTHOLOGY

Our last stop was this place surrounded by 12 tall leaning posts of different heights. Each post had carvings of a “Guardian”. They were all wrapped in some type of spiderweb weaving. In the middle of it all was a boulder of serpentine jade which they called Greenstone; we know it as Jade. It is highly valued and held sacred by Maoris.

The Twelve posts that symbolize the Twelve Guardians and Twelve Heavens...

By this time, I was zoned out, thanks to the sumptuous merienda at the Ngararatuatara Cooking Pool! So all I got from our tourguide Sandra was that Maori Mythology involved 12 Heavens and 12 Guardians…  then one day the Sky Father and Earth Mother were violently separated by one of the Guardian children… and then…  well, that’s all I remember! Click here to see what I missed!

And that wraps up my Te Puia Village tour; I hope you enjoyed!!!

A Guardian of Maori Mythology - now we know where cool face tattoo art comes from!

Looking up to some of the Twelve Heavens!

My hubby Ron next to the Greenstone...

Kiwi Birds, Mudpools and GEYSERS: Te Puia Visit PART 2 !!!

Te Puia's Welcome Sign!

Te Puia Village in Rotorua, New Zealand is an institute that nurtures Maori Arts and Crafts. Te Puia is also like a Theme Park where visitors can enjoy the unique culture of the country and experience a slice of Maori life. Click here to visit Te Puia’s site.

THE KIWI HOUSE

After visiting the Carving and Weaving Centers of Te Puia, we took a short hike through the lush gardens ofthe village to reach the Kiwi Bird Home. Te Puia is the home of four Kiwi birds: Kenny, a feisty little girl and Nohi, her betrothed, who is quite shy. The other two are found at the entrance of the shops; they are called Rigor and Mortis. (Not my joke but Sandra’s, our tour guide!)

Sandra, our tourguide, standing in front of the Kiwi bird house warning us trigger-happy camera owners NOT to take ANY photos!!!

Sandra explained that Kiwi birds are nocturnal and prefer the dark. They are also endangered – only a few thousand remain in New Zealand but efforts to protect the Kiwi bird population seem to be working.

It took about a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dark Kiwi bird room. There were a few lights but they were extremely dim. Ron, my husband, was the first to spot Kenny, who was dithering about right at the front of the glass enclosure.

Rescued Kiwi bird!

Surprise! Kiwi birds are huge! They are bigger than what I imagined – Kenny was like a big melon although I suspect that a lot of her size is due to the wonderful body of her feathers. Most of our non-New Zealand friends also thought Kiwi birds would be teeny like little yellow chicks. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of (not so) little Kenny – Sandra, our tour guide, specifically asked us not to take any pics. Kiwi birds are very much like Hollywood celebrities who avoid paparazzi at all costs. Get to know more about Kenny and her darling Nohi here!

Kiwi bird photo from here.

THE MUDPOOLS!

After the Kiwi birds, things got HOTTER – it was time to trek over to the natural MUDPOOLS!!!

Click above to see a 30 second clip of “Ngā Mōkai-ā-Koko,” the boiling mud pool we saw in Te Puia. It was bigger than our living room!

When you are standing in front of a mud pool, it feels like you are at the gates of hell. The longer you stand there, the more appealing the idea of Heaven becomes! But my thoughts were not all just about life after death – vain old me was also thinking about how wonderful it would be to have a mud pack – Rotorua Thermal Mud relieves arthritis and similar ache-y problems. It also clears up acne and beautifies skin. Mud is for Kikays!!!

The Polynesian Spa in Rotorua offers a Mud Body Polish while you can purchase Rotorua mud products. Click here for an example…

Pohutu Geyser! Notice the mustard-y streaks going down the rock...

POHUTU GEYSER

Te Puia is also home to the famous Pohutu Geyser – geysers look like fountains; they spit out hot water and are markers for geothermal activity. According to our lovely tourguide Sandra, the outbursts of Pohutu geyser spray minerals all over the place. As the water cools, it forms silica – the mustard-y stuff on the rock above. She added that wherever there is a hot geyser, there is a cold water source. And voila! Right below the geyser was a chilly little river snaking it’s way through the area.

Pohutu Geyser... where there are true promises, there are rainbows...

Next on Adventures of a Beauty Queen: Te Puia Visit Part 3 – Manuka Bushes, Merienda Cooked in a Hot Thermal Pool, and Maori Mythology…

Traveling Tiara: Learning About Maoris in Te Puia Village

Thanks to the fabulous music of Don Ho, the culture of Hawaii is known all over the western world and beyond. But what do we know of the Maori culture? Hawaiians and Maoris are both Polynesian people and are the same in several ways. But there ARE many MANY differences which you will discover as you join me in my visit to the Te Puia Cultural Village.

Wharenui - The Big Meeting House of Maoris. That handsome man you see is married to me!

Our first stop – a Wharenui (pron. Fa-reh-noo-wee) which is the big meeting room of a Maori tribe where all the families gather for grand pow-wows. This particular Wharenui was hand-carved by trainees and graduate carvers of Te Puia’s carving school. They began carving and constructing this contemporary Wharenui in 1967 and it took them 14 years to complete!  But then I’m not too surprised; our Kiwi driver says it takes New Zealand people forever to build something -only two people do the hard work, while everyone else gets to watch, LOLOL!!!

Te Wananga Whakairo - Maori Carving School

The Te Wananga Whakairo or Carving School is exclusive to men for purely cultural reasons. A thin excuse, if you ask me, but I think in this case I will accept it because Maori Women were held sacred and not allowed to do heavy or dangerous labor. SWEET! Te Puia Village has held on to this value and to this day the carving school does not accept women students although it does accept 3 male students a year to learn the art of Maori Carving.

Carvers hard at work. If you notice, only two are working. The rest are WATCHING!!! LOLOL!!!

Carving of a Mythological Maori god

******************

Te Rito School of Weaving

Te Rito is the School of Weaving. The fiber most often used by Maori weavers is Harakeke, known as Flax. The way they expose the fiber of the Harakeke is a bit similar to how the Filipinos extract Piña fiber from Pineapple leaves. The green waxy part of the leaf is stripped off leaving behind the fibers. Maori weavers then use different methods to turn the Harakeke fibers into thread – methods like boiling the fibers in natural hot water springs and rolling the fibers up and down their legs and thighs (which is also a GREAT way to remove leg hair, hahaha!)

Now I wonder if the Maoris were fair and told men that they WEREN’T allowed to weave. Does anybody know?

Exposing the fiber of the Harakeke or Flax Plant

Ron shows us a Harakeke thread! This is said to be an extremely strong thread...

This Maori Cape is sewn together with Harakeke thread. Maoris used it in the cold weather.

Maori Handcrafts using the Harakeke Fiber

Coming up in the next installment of Adventures of a Beauty Queen’s Te Puia visit are the KIWI BIRDS, MUDPOOLS, a GEYSER and MERIENDA, MAORI STYLE!!! That means food boiled in a naturally occurring hot pool!!!

KIA ORA!!!

Traveling Tiara: Rotorua, New Zealand STINKS!!!

Rotorua hole

Now that I have your attention, I must explain that I mean my headline in a GOOD way. Rotorua is a geothermal town on the edge of a lake which is also called Rotorua. The main attractions of the town are geysers, boiling mud-pools and hot thermal springs. These three things are responsible for the release of sulfur into the air and if you were awake during Chemistry Lab 101, you will be wrinkling your nose as you read this line.

So, while Rotorua LITERALLY stinks, it is for a GOOD and TOURISTY REASON. There are holes everywhere that emit mist and sulfur, giving the air a particularly distinct flatulent characteristic.

Whaka Village - those guys are sitting on the bridge watching the children swimming below. Notice all the steam? That's coming from the geothermal holes that dot Roturua and give it it's distinctive sulfuric smell!

Personally? I like the smell of sulfur and therefore Rotorua; it brings memories of the sulfur soap I used to buy in Metro Manila groceries – soap that I used to help me through those pimply seasons of life. Goooood memories, I have to tell you, LOL! And since I am (half) Filipina and used to ‘interesting’ smells, I am enjoying myself.

Extremely!

On Day 2 of the United Christian Broadcasters’ Forum, which I am attending, we went to a charming little geothermal village where we saw children swimming in the river waiting for tourists above on a bridge to throw coins into the water for them to retrieve. Talk about mild child abuse! LOLOL! Just kidding – I think it’s a whole lot fun for both the tourists and children

Whaka Thermal Village!!!

Kids waiting for Coins!

I'm still waiiiiting!

While visiting the little village, we met a cool local tourist guide who gave us a (futile) lesson in Maori Pronunciation. The Maoris are the natives of New Zealand and happen to love syllables and LONG, LONG, LONG NAMES. If you click on the link below, it will take you to the Youtube Vid of the (futile) lesson he gave us on how to pronounce the town’s name. Click on it and check it out!

WHAKA WHAAAATTTT!!!????

For those of you with sensitive noses, I encourage you to visit Rotorua ANYWAY. The sulfur smell is NOT that bad and God has blessed humans with the ability to adapt to such situations. You will only notice the smell in your first two or three days, then it will start smelling like normal. At this point in my working vacation, I have realized that I will MISS this smell badly when i get back to Manila simply because there is NO PLACE ON EARTH like Rotorua, New Zealand where SMELLY and FUN go hand and hand!