L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS

        A North American  Viking Settlement 

At the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland lies L’Anse aux Meadows, site of the first European settlement in North America nearly 1000 years ago. It  is a significant archeological find. Excavated remains of an 11th century Viking settlement consisting of timber-framed turf buildings (houses, workshops, etc.) that are identical of the same time period with those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland.

Viewing the outlines of Norse encampments at the UNESCO site stimulates the imagination while replicas of Norse sod buildings provide the stage for costumed interpreters to help one imagine what life in the harsh environment was like centuries ago.

            Our young Parks Canada guide told us, “Dr. Ingstad, a Norwegian, spent half his lifetime finding and working on this site, which he discovered in 1960. Unexpectedly a local fisherman told him about this place when the doctor asked if there were any strange or unusual earth formations around.”

            Walking on damp grass through the site, when asked our guide responded, “Only about 12-15 inches of wall was found. The weather had destroyed the upper parts of the wall. To preserve what is left the walls are covered with dirt which now is covered with grass.”

            The sail was the most important part of the Viking ship because it was made of wool and it took the wool of 90 sheep and many men working three years to make one.

            A building measuring 70 X 55 feet contained 5-6 rooms and fireplaces. Upper and lower walls were found. Lumps of slag iron found in several houses and large flat-surfaced stones near the river indicate the existence of a smithy. A large pit of charred wood, needed for smithy operations, was found in another pit. A tiny stone wheel carved from soapstone served as a fly-wheel on a spinning spindle  indicating that women were included in the settlement. The importance of L’Anse-aux-Meadows lies in the fact that it is the only place where actual evidence has been found that withstands scientific scrutiny that Vikings actually settled in North America. This permanent settlement took place 500 years before Columbus’s voyages.

            When we moved on to the sod buildings I was amazed at how comfortable they were inside. In the main building a “Viking” was playing a stringed instrument in front of a fire. The house was very warm and cozy---a great contrast to the drizzly cold outside.

Considerably different from later preserved settlements such as Williamsburg, it was a most interesting visit but the day was long with a lot of time spent on a bus. I’m not sure  there is a viable alternative though.

AUTHENTIC MAORI VILLAGE

                              Interesting Visit 

On the outskirts of Rotorua we stopped at a small Anglican church along the bay. On the wall facing the water is a stain glass window of Jesus. When the waves in the bay are just right and you look out the window it appears that Jesus is walking on the water. It’s pretty fantastic!

Rotorua isn’t very big and after getting our bearings we had no trouble getting around. Walking about town we saw several small steam vents. In a small park we saw a hobo cooking his dinner just like in the old days—steaming it over the vent. Rhododendrons that grew like small trees  lined the main street and were  in glorious bloom . They were simply gorgeous!

 In Rotorua our hotel bordered on a massive thermal area known as Whakarewarewa, one of the most accessible thermal areas in New Zealand.  Whakarewarewa is called Whaka by the local people and is pronounced Faka. In Maori the wh is pronounced f. This thermal area is one of the most extraordinary sights in the country.

Everywhere you turn the earth bubbles, boils, and spits. The hydrogen sulfide order of rotten eggs hangs in the air. Whaka gives one an extensive insight into  Maori culture. Our local guide informed us that the many paths wind around bubbling mud holes and steam vents cautioning us not to stray off the paths.

            The Maori cook in a natural steam oven called a hangi. Strategically placed, the Maori never need worry about building a fire, they have steam twenty-four hours a day. Pipes carry water from the cooking pots via gravity flow to bath tubs. The water is always crystal clear. The tubs are filled each morning so that by evening the water has cooled enough for bathing. The tubs are emptied each night and scrubbed  clean.

            As we walked along, the guide told us, “There was a large volcanic eruption in 1886 which wiped out three tribes. The few people to survive made their way here so the inhabitants of this village are descendants of the survivors of that eruption. Pa is the name for a walled village that is always high on a hill with a lookout tower.”

A geyser   called  Pohutu, meaning ‘big splash’, shoots 80 feet of water into the air and it was most accommodating to perform while we were in the area.         

The guide said, “The cemetery of this village is above ground as one finds himself in very hot water if you dig very far into the ground. Each of the seven Maori tribes also has a sacred hill cemetery. Why seven tribes? Well, there is one for each canoe that sailed from Hawaii many years ago. These people called this place Aotearoa, meaning ‘land of long white cloud’, which is what New Zealand looks like on the horizon. The Maori are one race, but there are traditional  differences between the tribes regarding language, ritual, arts, crafts, and protocol.”

            The totara tree was traditionally used to make dug out canoes. Termites do not bother this wood. Today many wood carvings are made from totara.

Before exiting the village we walked through the ‘dark pavilion’ where we could see another kiwi bird in its natural environment and learn a little more about this national bird. The guide continued, “The kiwi is seldom seen in the wild.  It hunts by smell, not by sight. Its nostrils are located at the tip of its long curved beak. Technically this makes his beak the shortest of any bird, as a beak is measured from the nostrils to the tip. The kiwi has no wings so cannot fly. He is all fur and feathers over a very small skeleton. He lays the largest egg for his body weight and it is the male who incubates the egg for 80 days.”

I’ve always been fascinated with Maori culture, loved Rotorua and was thrilled to visit an authentic active Maori village.