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Mikaere Norris

Guide

Ngati Whakaue

Mikaere Norris was constantly teased for never saying a word. “I was the quiet kid. My cousins were all older and louder. Next to them I barely spoke which is rare because we Maori sure can talk,” he says. “Now I’m the one making a living talking to people every day.”

Aged 28, Mikaere is considered one of the young guides at Te Puia even though he is a father of four. In the Maori world it’s not uncommon for a 40-year-old to be referred to as “boy” by elders. “That’s the way we are and it’s these kinds of things I like to share with visitors. The little quirks that no-one else can tell you,” he says.

“We don’t just talk on the walks, we actually walk the talk. This is our life, we’ve been brought up here and that’s the difference. Our stories, and man I can tell you some real funny ones, won’t be found in a book.”

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