After the New Zealand memorial service on Chunuk Bair (at Gallipoli, in Turkey) on April 25, the male members of the NZ army contingent (aided, impressively and competently by two Australian liaison officers) did "Ka mate". They invited anyone in the crowd who felt like it to join in, which several did. Even those who didn't do the actions shouted the words out, including me, who had bothered to look them up after the embarrassment of not be able to remember them at a restaurant a week earlier. The Maori women - and non-Maori as well - called out in support. There must have been 40 or 50 voices all told, and the army guys put everything into the actual haka, as did the Maori/part Maori guys in the crowd. It was intensely moving, even for cynical little me.
The Australians and Turks in the crowd were just blown away. I think they thought it was like a Masonic handshake, only you had to be a New Zealander to use it.
Which, I guess, it was!
