Well the Whitianga Scallop Festival  is now 7 weeks away.  The site is paid for, the menu set, now all I need to do is set up Aunty Umu.  She needs stabilising and certification and I expect to  be able to have her ready in at least 3 weeks at the most.  Aunty Umu will  have three roles to play.(i) as the cooking vehicle of A Taste of Hangi Oil and Fresh Meal, (ii) as the vehicle for spreading the word of Te Reo Maori.  The last week of the month is the annual Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori.  I plan on taking Aunty Umu out to spread the good songs Utaina; Poi e and the haka Ka Mate and if the mokos want,  they can have A Taste of Hangi lunch - kumara-chicken- sweet corn on the cob and any other meal item of request subject to availability and (iii) as the place to hear the sound of the ukulele,  where yours truly will be singing a selection of songs from a home made songbook called 'Mo Nga Manu Korihi  o Te Moananui a Kiwa' in short a song from each of Tahiti: Tahiti nui,  Samoa: Tele ia a le sami  Fiji: Isa Lei   Hawaii; Kaimana Hila;  all in their own language.  Thank goodness all the Polynesian tongues are the same give or take a letter.  And Maori of course; He Puru Taitama e, Pono Koutou, Poi E and Poi Porotiti atu Poi porotiti mai.  Just to name a few.  See you all in Whitianga maybe.  We are going to be the guests of Te Awhi and Joe Davis for a couple of days at the marae Te Ra Matiki at Wharekaho. They are the mussel fritter King and Queen of the Waka Ama.  Exciting stuff.  I managed to score some mutton birds from contact with a cousin living on the Chathams so here's the Menu: $5.80 Packed Plate of 2 Chicken Drums Potato Pumpkin Stuffing 2 Fried Bread Gravy $2 each item in Look and Point Make a Plate options - Kumara- Pork-Beef-Lamb-Muttonbird-Sweet Corn on the Cob- 4 Steamed Dumplings with Scallop filling- Slice of Wally Bread with Scallop Pate- Stuffing- Greens Arohanui na Mapuna