It was an emotional start to the 23rd New Zealand Opera School at Collegiate School in Whanganui last night.
Della Jones, the world renown mezzo soprano from Wales and Cesar Ulloa the chairman of the San Francisco Opera Company were both overcome with tears at the powhiri by Putiki Marae at Wanganui Collegiate.
Della said she had wanted to see and hear a "real live" haka since she was small girl in Wales.
"I used to hear it at the Wales/New Zealand Rugby tests you see and it always excited me."
Cesar said the haka was exciting and brought him to tears but it was the hongi from the members of the Putiki Maori Club who performed the haka that he will remember "forever".
"It was so beautiful I will never forget it," Cesar said.
For both international tutors it was a memory that will never be forgotten.