Well! I had an exciting adventure when I was out on my walk yesterday! Hsin-Yi had taken me to Roma St Parklands - one of our favourite parks in Brisbane – and just as we were walking back to the car machine, we suddenly heard the strangest noise: DUM! DUM! DUM-DUM! DUM….DUM! DUM! DUM-DUM! DUM…
They were drums!
My humans on Aitutaki in the Cook Islands
But a special kind of drums. Hsin-Yi had heard them before – when she and Paul had gone to a nearby place called the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean, for a holiday a few years ago.
Hsin-Yi got very excited and we started rushing towards the noise. It was coming from the Melange Cafe - which I had been to before when we met my friend, Loki the Great Dane and her humans for breakfast. Now there were lots of people there and pretty ribbons on the chairs and flowers on the tables and sparkly things on the windows…Hsin-Yi said there was a wedding party going on!
Then just as we got there, we heard the most amazing loud call – the kind that gives you goosey bumps in your fur. Hsin-Yi got even more excited because it sounded just like the call from the famous Maori war dance, called the “haka“, which she had heard many times back in NZ – and it made her feel very homesick.
Then she realised it was not actually Maori music but one of the Pacific Islands – maybe Cook Islands – or Tonga or Samoa or even Tahiti – she wasn’t sure which. But it did sound like the music she had heard when she visited the Cook Islands. 
It was a wonderful sound and she got so excited she even climbed up a wall to see better! 
Humph – I couldn’t climb up on the wall with her so I had to do a Sit Stay and wait for her.
After a while, we tried to leave to go home but then we walked round into the back of the party by mistake! So we watched some more dancing – this time by a beautiful girl wearing a grass skirt. And then we got a Telling-Off by the cafe people for being in their wedding! 
So we quickly sneaked out the back and went home.
Hsin-Yi was so happy because back in NZ, there are a lot of Pacific Islander humans living there and so you get to see a lot of their culture – like their music and their clothes and their food. And the Maori too – they have similar music and food and stuff – which my humans always really loved. But here in Australia, there isn’t any of this and their own ‘original’ people – called the Aboriginals – aren’t as mixed in and as welcomed and as respected - as the Maori are in NZ. So you don’t really see much of their culture unless you go and do the touristy things. It is a bit sad 
Anyway, it was lovely to get a little taste of our ‘old home’ again!
Here is a short movie of me crashing the wedding…(sorry the video is a bit fuzzy but Hsin-Yi only had her mobile phone with her so she had to use that to take the video!)
Very exciting! How could they expect people to not want to watch? Quite a show! Maybe Hsin-Yi should choreograph a dance for you two that would use some music and moves like that?
p.s. tell Hsin-yi not to worry with the emails, I don’t think there was much interesting, just lots of newbie ramblings!
If you’re having a wedding in an open, outdoor place, you should expect people to look in. But don’t brides everywhere expect to be adored? Your people are so pretty, Honey. They certainly deserve a pretty girl like you.
Drools,
Thor
Honey & Hsin-yi…the wedding crashers! Too bad you couldn’t sneak any cake.
How cool was that, Honey!!! You and Hsin-Yi were wedding crashers:) Those kids on scooters would have made us nervous but you just sat there so very well.
Beautiful photo of Hsin-Yi and Paul on the islands.
Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara
Oh my goodness! That was so cool, to be able to witness the wedding and the HAKA! The Missus loves the Haka. When the All Blacks are playing the rugby, she would just gaze at them… My humans went to Hong Kong for the rugby sevens and she witnessed the Haka performed LIVE! She tried to get my Dad to do the Haka but he refused. ‘sigh’. ..
I’ve attached a video of the Haka ritual. Man, tell Hsin-Yi to check out the testosterone! ‘Kamate… kamate…. ka ora… ka ora!’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRiOmg3ZhJU
Very nice photo of Hsin-Yi and Paul. We LOVE it! They make a booti-ful couple!
Love,
Homer
Typo -- It should be Haka performance, not performed. Talking about the Maoris and their Hakas made the Missus woozy!
That sounds really exciting Honey! I think you should have showed them some of your dance moves! They would have been very impressed! You have done so many exciting things in your life, Honey, and now you can add wedding crashing to the list!
How fun! I went to a work function a few years ago and they had a group there dancing and playing drums to Polynesian music. It was actually pretty cool. They taught us a few words too which of course I don’t remember. This video kind of reminded me of that.
culture culture culture is nt it great to be able to witness such spectacular displays .Lets all encourage cultural displays because my Jeannette loves them too especially weddings
I just burb alot to express my culture ….or lack of it !!!!!!
House and Jeannette
Oh Honey! How exciting! I have never even been to a regular wedding! Thank you for your comment on my blog! I am honored to have you as a friend.
Licks of love,
Brodie The Yellow Lab
That looks fun! We can’t believe you got told off!! We bet the Bride and Groom didn’t even realize you were there……and if they had, they probably wouldn’t have minded.
Now we are all caught up on your posts!!!!
You’re a good girl Honey.
Who can’t resist those festive sound of drum?
Those sounds made us barking along and runing with full force in the back yard!
Honey, please email me at vx163@yahoo.com if you don’t mind giving me addie in Australia.
I has your email before but I don’t know if you still use the same one.
Cheers!
What a wonderful wedding Honey! Who knew you could go to such a fancy thing when you’re out on your walk!
Your such a well behaved girl sitting still amongst the excitment of those dancers, Honey. I would have been in there grabbing myself a grass skirt!
I enjoyed the immediacy of that video. It was amusing to hear your ever-so-quiet voice as you watched -- notice, I didn’t say ‘skulked’, lol.
Wow, how nice! It is nice to keep certain traditions!
Yes I agree, in your next dance routine you should try and put some of your homeland style…
Lovely experience -- sorry you have been told off… you were behaving so nicely!
But I guess it was not for you Honey, it was just that they wanted to keep it to themselves…
How is your back ouchie little girl?
Ciao Lucille
Honey,
Hope you do not mind if I invited to you to a contest… in which I also have been invited by Murphy….
http://lucillemia.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/versatile-blogger-award/
Check it out
Your friend
Lucille
How exciting! Those drums are great!
I’m surprised they didn’t invite you to dance with them, since you’re such a great dancer!
Tail wags,
Storms
PS: If you have time, check out today’s (Saturday’s) post — I got to see the Calico Cat again!!!
Oh, that wedding party is cool! Yes, as you say, you can see a lot of culture of Pacific islands. But, I have never seen a wedding like that in person. If I had been there with you, I would have wanted to join the dance with you.
Yesterday my dancing at a competition-turned-demo was not the best I could have done. But, Mint did great in the busking. He got the first place!!!
How exciting! Weddings are special!
Hi Honey -- how cool that you and Hsin-Yi got to crash that wedding! We also think it’s wonderful that you were so calm with all those noises. And oh, we think you’d be proud of us -- last weekend was our local carnival and our humans took us down to see the parade as they thought it would be a good training walk. It was -- it was noisy and busy -- and we were good as gold! We even entertained a group of irritated teenagers -- their parents told us it was the most attention span they’d had all day, he he he! We’re hoping to do a post about it all.
And Honey, we’re so sorry to hear that you have a bottom ouchie! You poor thing -- we wish we were there to smooch it better -- *blush!*
Schnauzer snuggles -- JD and Max.
Hi there Honey,
Wow, what a fun wedding, it is a shame you had to leave but it was nice to see some before you went.
That is a lovely photo of your humans in the Cook Islands.
Have a great week!