10: Fort Irwin
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BREAKFAST WASN’T WHAT the uninitiated expected it to be. The Kiwis and Aussies were giving each other stick, so it was rowdy to the max.
A challenge erupted when the Kiwis stood with a swagger, stomped to the centre of the diner, as they moved tables out of the way.
Banjo muttered, ‘Here we go,’ under his breath with the shake of his head. The Aussies casually watched, knowing full well where this was heading.
Then, it began. A big Kiwi thumped his open palm against his muscled thigh and issued an ancestral war cry called the Haka.
‘Ka mate! Ka mate!’
The call to war was issued in an unwavering, thunderous voice.
His Kiwi mates moved in formation and responded with ‘Ka ora! Ka ora!’
Everyone was transfixed with the show of force. It was a fierce display of
