So at the end of a stressful Monday a bit of peace

My day has not been stressful it's been quite pleasant really.
We went to a Mauri village. We wanted to avoid a tourist circus so out of all those available we chose Te Puia, Maori culture and architecture, mud pools and geysers, all run by Maori for the greater benefit of the Maori nation. It also has a school teaching Maori carving and weaving. The courses last three years and ,once finished the student goes back to his home tribe and spreads the knowledge.
We were told that from about 1920 until the early sixties the New Zealand government actively tried to destroy Maori culture, banning the use of their language and burning their historic buildings.
Since the sixties they have been trying to recover the culture and knowledge that was lost in the previous 40 years. The guide said they think they have lost 40% of their historic knowledge; an example he quoted was the ability to navigate by stars,tides and animal migration. This was how the original people arrived in the 13th century, something that is not understood now.
The guide was very good, had the NZ sense of humour and was born in a village next to the one we visited. He could not speak English until his early teens, and his pride in being Maori shone through everything he said. Times have odviously changed, very much for the good.