This post has been split in two and is a mirror but focuses on reconnecting with family, while the other is more to do with the research. Both have the same starting paragraph.
While the actual research side of the trip fell short of what I had planned it to be, seeing a good amount of my family after two years was lovely and liberating in a way. Due to covid and my former jobs, I haven't seen many of my relatives, or "The Regulars" as I call them (they are the family that almost always show up for celebrations and whatnot). So I took the opportunity to while between jobs. The handy part is that they live in Rotorua, where Hatupatu and Kurungaituku's story is partially set. And while I was ready for more research, I wasn't as prepared to retrieve it as I had thought, lost in the joy reconnecting created.
Partial reasoning behind forgetting to ask my family about the story was personal reasons that distanced me. I opened up about some of the problems earlier in the year, which set the bar for seeing them this time. It made for a better time and brought the connection back (on my end). The other reason was working weekends, and that was when my father would go down the line.
What had us going down in the first place was my uncle's 65th birthday. This uncle would take us out to Hinehopu/Hongi's track on the Saturday (in the other blog post). Despite having the time to talk on the way to the track, I felt somewhat awkward asking him anything about Hatupatu and Kurungaituku's story. This boiled down to wanting a more formal interview setting that never happened.
As per most visits down the line, some partying happened, starting from early afternoon and finishing at about midnight. This was another factor that stopped any form of an interview from happening, too, unfortunately. As a supervisor said afterwards, "Kāore te waipiro, ka pai te kōrero!" (a loose translation can be, "Don't drink, it's better/best/good to talk!")
I found it was good to slide back into where I'd left off with my family, especially while I'm trying to immerse myself into the culture more. There are always more opportunities to interview my family, even in a more formal setting (which would be easier to record for information keeping/eventual note-taking). Or even just potentially over the phone, as covid continues.
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