With Covid restrictions postponing or cancelling events, it felt like there wasn’t a lot to look forward to besides Christmas until by chance a friend notified us of a cultural food festival happening right in our backyard. The Food Fire Festival, inspired by the traditional Polynesian method of cooking by burying food with hot coals and rocks in the ground called hāngi, is called Te Ahi Kōmau (The Eternal Flame). This 2-day event, centred on the Polynesian and indigenous Māori values surrounding the symbiosis between nature and people. There is particular focus on fire and food, celebrating how the volcanic origins of New Zealand resulted in rich, fertile soil that produced healthy, tasty, and nutritious food.
Te Ahi Kōmau is young, but is forecast to be an annual event, a goal that is very achievable considering its sizeable turnout. This year, it was held at the end of October at the Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae in Māngere, South Auckland, which was once known as a food bowl prior to its urbanisation. The marae, which is a meeting ground or community centre, was a fitting location for such an event as the land on which it sits was once a teeming fruit orchard. A fair area still dedicated to growing produce, and now, or at least for the festival, a pit in which to cook hāngi for a crowd.
Tickets
Entrance to the event was free. Ticket reservation was encouraged through their website, a precaution we suspected allowed them to predict the amount of public interest as well as limit attendees in the case of Covid-19 restrictions. No one was turned away at the entrance, as it indicated by the website.
Certain meal tickets also required ordering in advance. This was in particular the hāngi cooked by the Marae, a vegan hāngi, steamed pudding, umu, and mataahi, all described later. We recommend pre-ordering the hāngi and the mataahi – there was plenty of umu and steamed pudding to go around.
The Set-Up
The performances were held on a small stage at the marae, with seats to watch. The remaining grounds were dedicated to food vendors, which consisted of established Polynesian restaurants, vendors that normally set up in markets, and a number of dishes cooked by the event organisers. There are places for seats and tables, enough space around for picnicking, though if you don’t snag yourself a space or you’re not keen to sit on the ground to eat, you might find yourself standing while you eat your dinner.
Everything is run by volunteers, who are dressed in Te Ahi Kōmau shirts. Despite being in the early years, there were a fair number of volunteers and the entire evening ran seamlessly, though part of that may have been attributed to the easy-going nature of the people. Still, one must acknowledge the amount of effort it must have taken to arrange the vendors, the performers, and the set-up, which all came together with incredible professionalism.
The Performances
It’s no surprise that music and dance is highly valued, and it’s evident in the line-up. While each night differs slightly in performances, there are vocalists and dancers that range from traditional Polynesian performing arts, amateur singers (don’t get us wrong – their voices are mind-blowingly good), and a national champion krumper. Thanks to the performances, we didn’t even notice the time flying by.
The Pōwhiri
A pōwhiri is a traditional welcoming ceremony which involves hosts welcoming guests in an exchange of speeches and singing. If you aren’t part of the Māori community it’s not often that you’ll experience a pōwhiri in New Zealand, if really at all. There are experiences aimed at tourists, such as part of marae stays or in tour groups that feature events focusing on Māori culture.
This event was only on the first day of the festival, as a sort of opening ceremony with Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae as the hosts. A pōwhiri opens with a representative (usually an older woman) from the hosts offering a karanga, a call of welcome, to the guests. A woman from the visitors will respond as the guests enter via procession. As the two groups face each other there are speeches and waiata (songs), most of which is in te reo Māori (the Māori language). There was also a kapa haka (group dance) performance by local school students. This year, the guests included Auckland’s Mayor Phil Goff, who gave part of his opening speech in te reo Māori.
TahiMana Fire Dancers
Arguably, one cannot hold a festival celebrating the Eternal Flame without a show of fire. That’s where the TahiMana Polynesian Fire Warriors come in, wielding flames with unwavering confidence. This traditional dance, known also as ailao, was originally to demonstrate a warrior’s strength and display by wielding a war club, or later a machete; it wasn’t until 1946 that a Samoan-American performer added flames, making it the impressive art that it is today.
With a backdrop of the black of night and the small of gas in the air, the young performers took centre stage with astonishing acrobatics and practised choreography to delight virtually everyone, gathering for arguably the most anticipated event of the evening. Even if you’re not looking to stay until the end, this is one of the performances that cannot be missed.
The Food
Māori cuisine focuses on simplicity, using the ingredients taken from the land, the sky, and the sea to produce flavourful kai that can feed a crowd. While, disappointingly but not surprisingly, the Māori community has fallen victim to the bad influences of European eating habits, fresh ingredients are still valued in Māori cuisine, which also incorporates some traditional English styles of cooking thanks to British settlement (read, colonisation).
Hāngi (NZ$10)
This dish was likely one of the main factors that drew the crowds when announcing that food was involved. Hāngi, as described before, is a traditional Polynesian method of cooking food, where meat and vegetables are buried in the ground with hot stones and wood – preferably mānuka, for its flavour – forming an oven called an umu. The earth acts as an insulator, and the heat cooks the food slowly. The duration varies, but typically it is at least 3 hours. Moisture from vegetation or added water turns to steam and assists the process by increasing pressure. This results in tender meat and soft, sweet vegetables, all infused with a smoky, earthy aroma.
Traditionally, the food was wrapped in leaves for burying, though nowadays you’re more likely to see them portioned out in foil boxes. Hāngi is typically organised as a meal to feed a huge crowd (such as for a food festival like this one) or on special occasions, thanks to the laborious process required to dig the ground and prepare the food. Now, government permission is also required to lay a hāngi, meaning it’s unlikely that one might ever experience it as it should be, which just made this experience all the more special to us.
The traditional hāngi at the festival was laid by the Marae. It contained three kinds of meat, as is fairly standard – chicken, lamb, and beef – as well as cabbage, wedges of pumpkin, hunks of potato, carrot, kūmara (sweet potato), and likely thanks to British influence, some stuffing. Though it had been dug up sometime before we could dig in it was still steaming as we opened our containers.
Thanks to the long, slow cooking, the meat was meltingly tender. Everything was very lightly seasoned, with just enough salt to flavour the proteins, allowing the fatty meat and the sweetness of the vegetables to speak for themselves. The flavour of each ingredient was infused by each other and the herbs used in the stuffing, resulting in a flavour that would not have been achieved if they had been cooked separately. It is, as people may find, almost ordinary-tasting. The ingredients used are akin to a British roast, but it is the unique method of cooking, as well as the appreciation of the labour and time involved, which makes hāngi a meal to enjoy. It’s really an experience that’s not to be missed if you have any opportunity to taste it for yourselves.
Vegan Hāngi (NZ$10)
The vegan hāngi is much simpler, thanks to the omission of the three meats. This dish, prepared by the vendor the Food Hut, had pumpkin, potato, kūmara, carrots, and cabbage, as well as a stuffing that also incorporated kidney beans and chickpeas, as described on the pre-order form. While the dish misses the rich, fatty flavours contributed by meat it was still flavourful. Arguably, this version was much more smoky and earthy than the meat hāngi had been, but it could have been due to any number of factors. It’s refreshing and commendable to see a vegan option available, which allows the food to reach a wider scope of consumers.
Umu (NZ$10)
Umu, as described before, is the oven that is formed when sealing the hot rocks in the ground, also called a luau. Though on the pre-order form only explained as lamb flaps and taro leaves, the meal also came with taro, green bananas, chicken, and ribs, all cooked in similar methods. Disappointingly, the meat was a little tough, most likely as it had cooled down in the process of making up the plates, so we ended up stashing most of the umu in our paper bag for dinner the next day, which was much more enjoyable heated through.
It was the taro leaves that stole the show and our hearts; mixed with coconut cream, liberally salted, and wrapped in foil for cooking, the earthiness of the leaves mixed with the sweet, fragrant coconut cream, whose sugars cooked into a smoky caramel caked on the tin foil, made for one of the most decadent vegetable dishes we’ve ever experienced. If nothing else, try the taro leaves. You won’t regret it.
Purini Mamaoa Steamed Pudding – Multiple Vendors
Steamed pudding is a Māori dish with clear British influences. The basic mix consists of butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and a leavening agent. The pudding also contains golden syrup and mixed spices like cinnamon and ginger, which is without a doubt a very British thing to do. It’s then served with any combination of cream, custard, or even butterscotch sauce, though in this case it was just a custard.
It is unsurprising that the steamed pudding we enjoyed was not an unfamiliar flavour. With a dense, exceptionally moist texture, fragrant from the syrup and the spices and creamy from the custard, this is one of those desserts which transcend geography and culture. It is merely everything that tastes good – flavourful cake and smooth custard – a great way to end a meal if you were to stop there.
Rukau Pie – Rukau Hut (NZ$5)
If you want fusion, a rukau pie is the perfect example of traditional ethnic food reimagined into something mind-bogglingly delicious. Rukau Hut, an eatery in Papatoetoe, incorporates rukau, or taro leaves, into a savoury pie. This innovative method of trying to see taro leaves enjoyed in a more mainstream market saw the rukau pie named as one of the top 100 Iconic Eats of Auckland, and it’s not difficult to see why.
Taro leaves cook up exceptionally tender, similarly to spinach though with less of the shrinkage and a fragrance like banana leaves. When paired with the mildly sweet, creamy coconut and a flaky pastry that just gives way to the teeth, this small pie packs an incredible punch. It’s without a doubt one of the most delicious eats that we encountered at the festival, though if we were to recommend anything, it’s to buy a couple to take home – these little pockets of pure deliciousness stash away nicely, leaving room for other food for the night.
So far as we know, Rukau Hut operates only in markets, though we sure hope that changes. It was our mistake to assume we’d be able to indulge on these by dropping into a store as we please. Our next destination for eats clearly has to be the Otara Markets. Visit Rukau Hut’s Facebook page here.
Chop Suey, Minus, Mushroom Sauce and Steak (NZ$5-10)
We had to try a plate some Samoan classics, which came at $5 for a small size and $10 for a large. We chose to omit the rice, opting for a small plate with chop suey, a Chinese-influenced dish consisting of vermicelli cooked in soy sauce; minus, a potato salad coloured bright pink with beetroot juice; and steak, all topped with a creamy mushroom sauce.
Despite having never had Samoan food before, these dishes tasted very close to home. There was nothing unusual about any of it. The potato salad was creamy but not cloying, the vermicelli flavourful, the steak a perfect texture of chewy with no hint of toughness, and the creamy mushroom sauce just that exactly – creamy, with a few pieces of mushrooms. It was nothing spectacular, and yet it was homey and nostalgic, reminiscent of a dish we ate as children called pastel tutup, essentially an Indonesian shepherd’s pie with vermicelli to bulk up the mince filling. It was shocking to say the least, though nothing short of delightful as we relived a nostalgic dish in a very unlikely location. This kind of food won’t please a gastronome; it’s food that hits the soul, and takes people right back home.
Mussel Fritters – Kiwi Tucker (NZ$8)
Fritters are a common dish in New Zealand, taking the form of cakes of homogenised starch and filling, battered ingredients, or chopped fillings mixed through a batter and fried. Kiwi Tucker’s seafood fritters consist of finely-chopped vegetables and your choice of seafood in a thin batter that’s shallow-fried on a hot griddle and served on a slice of bread. An over-easy egg is an extra $1, which seems a popular addition for many of the punters.
Kiwi Tucker is by no means a fast food. This stand, which operates in the Otara and Britomart weekend markets, can only cook a handful of fritters at a time, but they do it with painstaking attention and consistency. Our order of a single mussel fritter (as recommended by the young lady who served us) took well over 15 minutes, but it was worth it, quickly become one of the most delicious things we had that night.
The thinness of the batter allowed it to spread and form a ring around the toppings, and when cooked with a liberal amount of cooking oil formed a perfectly golden-brown crust with an unbelievable light crisp. The vegetables inside had just a bit of crunch, and when paired with a generous portion of chewy, tender, creamy, plump mussels on top of a lightly-fried slice of white bread, it made for a combination of flavours and textures that is inexplicably moreish and satisfying simultaneously. There were plenty of condiments with which to enjoy your fritter, but it was seasoned perfectly and needed nothing else. If anything, just a tiny squeeze of fresh lemon would have elevated the dish to new heights. This fritter will be in our minds for a while. Visit their Facebook page here.
Mataahi (NZ$3.50)
The website preorders described this dish as mataahi (spit) roasted pork served as a sandwich in fried bread, topped with nasturtium kawakawa pesto and watercress aioli. The pig was roasted all night, up until 8.30pm, though we doubt that the delay in serving the dish was intentional. Nasturtium and kawakawa are edible New Zealand herbs with medicinal properties and peppery flavours, and fried bread is a common Polynesian snack or dish. Though the combination of these ingredients to form a sandwich is glaringly obvious, it’s a fantastic way of incorporating ingredients to make a show-stopper dish.
And show-stopper it was. These sandwiches were served right as the TahiMana Fire Warriors were taking the stage, but it seems that underdressed young men playing with fire weren’t enough to keep a crowd from the most anticipated dish of the day. It was, in short, unbelievably delicious. Though the bread was cold and no longer crispy, it had a perfect chewy texture and density to withstand a generous quantity of the most juicy, succulent, tender hunks of pork, creamy, spicy watercress aioli, fresh, herbaceous pesto, and a gratuitous spring of mesclun salad. Every component was phenomenal but without a doubt the pesto was beyond expectations, the peppery, mustardy herbs complementing the rich pork. It’s no wonder that this pesto, served on kūmara, claimed a spot in the Top 100 Iconic Auckland Eats, the Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae standing proud amongst a list of the most famous restaurants in the city. It’s well-deserved, and no one will be able to convince me otherwise.
Order one per attendee, and order it as soon as possible. These sold out fast, and are worth far more than the $3.50 they charged. We’d buy ten in a heartbeat.
The Light Show
To close the evening, a half-hour light show was projected onto the trees on the property of the Marae, and the voiced story played through speakers. It told the origins of fire according to Māori folklore, starting from the creation of the earth to how fire was stolen by Polynesia’s favourite demi-god trickster, Maui. The lights are difficult to follow on the texture of the trees, but through the lens of the camera the images are much more distinct. This medium of projecting lights onto a surface is likely not unique, but in remembering that the festival focused on the appreciation of the land, and seeing the leaves rippling in the wind added an eerie yet enrapturing effect that perfectly suited the theme of the festival.
We were exposed to Māori culture growing up in New Zealand, but there’s significantly less prevalence of it in everyday life once you’re out of primary school. This festival was something that we anticipated might teach us more about Māori culture, and while we did get a taste of that, there was also a certain nostalgia in being surrounded by the arts and stories we’d learned as children even if we hardly ever saw them again.
As immigrants to New Zealand, we had hoped to grow closer, relate better with the Māori community, but we found that as waiata rang out through the crowds, as we feasted on food whose flavours took us right back to our childhoods, these snippets of culture that we thought were distinct from ourselves were more like veins that ran through the country and touched on small but recurring aspects of our lives. We may not be able to communicate in te reo Māori, or recite folklore by heart, but the excitement that rises in our chests when Māori culture is recognised, the surge of pride we feel as we witness a powerful haka performed around the world, is not something that we can put a label on. We appreciate the culture. We can share and enjoy food, learn the stories, and talk to the people. We feel welcomed, we feel at home, and we feel part of the community. And that’s what Te Ahi Kōmau, that’s what festivals like these, are all about.
See Also
Link to Facebook event page
Link to the official event website
Link to the website for the Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae
*Note: At the time of this event on the 30th-31st of October 2020, New Zealand was at Alert Level 1, which does not place any restrictions on crowds, gatherings, events, or mask usage. Precautions were still taken by the event managers by requiring guests sign in for traceability.
