The hut we were at was managed by a Maori man who walked willing participants through a traditional welcome ceremony, and gave a brief update on the current Maori struggle through the politics of maintaining control over their land.Adam and I joined the welcome ceremony rather last minute, and were therefore unprepared for what was expected of us. Adam was to give a speech (because only the men speak) and I was to come up and sing a song with him. We didn't even have time to communicate which song we would sing. Other families were more prepared with songs about rowing, or their national anthems, but I wasn't so keen on hitting the high note of the Star Spangled Banner. Before Adam went up, I mouthed to him "American Pie," the only song I could think of, as I had been singing it all day as we rowed down the river. So, we stood in front of our Maori host and the 30 or so people participating, and sang the first verse of American Pie. Later that night, we were told it was the first time that song had been sung during the welcome ceremony.
The rest of our river trip was more or less uneventful (we didn't tip again). We did strike up conversation with a father and daughter canoeing team, Kiwis from Auckland area who were on vacation. They graciously offered us accommodation in Auckland before we fly out, so we will get to stay with them in the coming days. Kiwis really are incredibly friendly people. After loading the boats back onto the trailer, we were exhausted and ready to head up North to get back to our beloved ocean.