I went to Auckland for the weekend to watch the All Blacks play against England. The event started with a re-enactment of a battle which looked something like the Battle of Hastings, followed by the All Blacks' famous haka. The final score was the All Blacks 37 - England 20.
If you would like to try the haka at home, you better learn the words (NB: vowels are just like English long vowels, and the letters "wh" sound like a soft "f"):
Ringa pakia! (Slap the hands against the thighs!)
Uma tiraha! (Puff out the chest!)
Turi whatia! (Bend the knees!)
Hope whai ake! (Let the hip follow!)
Waewae takahia kia kino! (Stamp the feet as hard as you can!)
A, ka mate! Ka mate! ('Tis death! 'Tis death!)
Ka ora! Ka ora! ('Tis life! 'Tis life!)
Ka mate! Ka mate! ('Tis death! 'Tis death!)
Ka ora! Ka ora! ('Tis life! 'Tis life!)
Tēnei te tangata puhuruhuru (Behold! There stands the hairy man)
Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te ra! (Who will cause the sun to shine!)
A upane! Ka upane! (One step upwards, another step upwards!)
A upane! Ka upane! (One step upwards, another step upwards!)
Whiti te rā! (The sun shines!)
Note: If you are looking for the Gingerbread Haka, watch this:
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