On Saturday we took part in an Umu to thank our host families. In the morning we prepared the food to be cooked in the hot rocks. In our waiting time we learned to make poi balls and flax flowers. Finished products were really impressive-you'd think we were locals! Unfortunatley not all of our host families could attend but those that were present really enjoyed the food, entertainment, and good company. Brittany and Mallory performed a special dance with their host family sister, Natalie. Cheryl and Becca's host family grandma performed a Tongan dance. As the picture shows, we all took part in learning to move our hips too! We sang Te Aroha as a group too. It is a special song for all of us because of the meaning. The Umu food was amazing. Chop suey, kumara, hokey pokey ice cream, fruit galore, bread, chicken, etc.... the list goes on. Every feast we have is out of this world. Late afternoon we attended the Auckland Blues/Perth Western Force rugby game. It was really great to see rugby finally played in person.
