Wellington
(ANI):
Supermodel
Tyra
Banks
got
to
learn
Kiwi"s
traditional
Maori
greeting
during
her
recent
visit
to
New
Zealand.
Known
as
hongi,
it
is
done
by
pressing
one''s
nose
to
another
person"s
nose
at
an
encounter.
A
seven-year-old
Auckland
girl
named
Sophie
taught
Tyra
Banks
how
to
hongi
during
a
star-studded
lunch
hosted
by
the
stunner
and
TV
star,
who
was
in
New
Zealand
filming
the
14th
season
of
her
hit
reality
show
America''s
Next
Top
Model.
She
also
presented
Banks
with
a
pounamu
necklace
before
being
given
a
number
of
US-style
bear-hugs
in
return.
Sophie,
who"s
bubbling
with
excitement,
says
she
will
always
remember
pressing
noses
and
saying
hello
."She
did
it
[hongi]
really
well.
Her
nose
was
going
side-to-side
on
my
nose
because
she
thought
I
was
really
cute," Stuff.co.nz
quoted
Sophie
as
telling
Sunday
Star-Times.
"She
gave
me
three
hugs
and
two
kisses,"
she
added.
However,
photos
of
the
hongi
were
not
available:
Banks''
production
company
is
withholding
the
images
from
general
release
and
is
offering
them
for
sale
to
international
media.