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Published: December 25th 2006
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Firstly, Merry Christmas everyone!
Compared to South America, travel in New Zealand almost seems like cheating: I mean, everyone speaks
English, something I had grown so accustomed to
not hearing that it is taking a little adjustment to being in an English-speaking country again! Having said that, it is wonderfully refreshing and I'm going to make the most of finding travelling and communicating easy for a while!
So, after spending a couple of uneventful days in a HUGE hostel in Auckland (the place had about 500 beds - weird!) I headed up north to the Bay of Islands for a 5-day whistle-stop tour of the Bay and to the northernmost point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. First stop was a day in Whangarei, during which I had planned to take a trip of some nearby caves, however the weather being what it was (ie, rather chilly and rainy - pretty much what it has been like since I arrived!) meant that they were flooded and I therefore couldn't visit them. So I spent a day exploring the pleasant but not-all-that-exciting town centre instead.
Next I headed slightly north to spend a couple of days in Paihia, a nice
but rather touristy small coastal town in the heart of the Bay of Islands. It was also the centre for booking and embarking on boat trips of the area. I decided that it would be a perfect way for me to take in the beautiful sights of the Bay, so I booked myself on a one-day dolphin watching and scenic tour of the bay. Unfortunately the weather was pretty temperamental so it was too cold to swim (or, at times, even be out on the deck!) but it was a great day all the same, and I took some lovely pictures of the dolphins and some of the island views.
The next day, while still in Paihia and before I left the town for my next stop, I spent a few hours at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, about a 2km walk from Paihia. I am so glad that I decided to take the time to explore these grounds, as it turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip to the Bay. Waitangi is the area known to New Zealanders as their 'birthplace', or
te pitowhenua in Maori. A little bit of (hopefully accurate) NZ history for
you:
New Zealand Pre-1840 Rich in resources, the Bay of Islands attracted early Polynesian settlers and was occupied for centuries by competing Maori tribes. In the late 18th century, European explorers Cook and Du Fresne visited the Bay. Whalers, sealers and traders set up bases there and Christian mission stations were set up at Rangihoua (1815), Kerikeri (1819) and Paihia (1823). Trade in muskets made intertribal wars more deadly.
By 1830 the Bay was crowded with visiting ships, and the trading centre at Kororareka (Russell) had gained an unsavoury reputation as the 'hellhole of the Pacific'. Disturbed by reports of lawless behaviour the British government appointed James Busby as British Resident in New Zealand.
Busby arrived in Paihia in 1833 and settled in Waitangi. Without resources to enforce his authority, Busby was described by Maori as 'a man-o'-war without guns', but he did some useful work as a mediator. In 1834 he helped northern chiefs to obtain a maritime flag and registration for locally built ships. In 1835 he hosted a gathering of 35 northern chiefs who signed the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand.
The Treaty of Waitangi 1840 Due to the
increasing threat of take-over by many different, predominantly European countries, in January 1840 Englishman Captain William Hobson arrived in the Bay of Islands to make a treaty with the Maori chiefs on behalf of the British government, which would establish New Zealand as a British colony and therefore offer the country and its inhabitants Royal protection from outside threats. Busby helped to revise Hobson's draft and Rev Henry Williams of Paihia and his son, Edward, translated it into Maori. On 5th February 1840 hundreds of Maori and scores of Europeans gathered in front of the residency in Waitangi. The Treaty was read and explained in both English and Maori. The chiefs debated all day at Waitangi and into the night at Te Tii, across the river. On February 6th, 43 chiefs signed the Treaty in front of the Residency at Waitangi; the site of which is now marked by a flagstaff.
Copies of the Treaty were then carried around the country, and by September of the same year over 500 chiefs had signed it. Hobson proclaimed British sovereignity over the whole country on 21st May 1840.
Though debate continues over the interpretation of its parts, the Treaty is
best understood as a whole. It is an agreement between two peoples to live and work together in one nation. This agreement is a relevant today as it was in 1840, for it guarantees the rights of both Maori and non-Maori citizens in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Hope you enjoyed that brief history lesson!
Later that evening I headed to Kerikeri, about a 20 minute bus journey from Paihia. The next day I had another tour booked, this time to visit the famous Ninety-Mile Beach and the lighthouse at Cape Reinga, the northmost part of New Zealand where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet. It is also the site of an 800 year old pohutukawa tree whose roots hide the entrance to the Maori underworld. This point is known to the Maori as Te Rerenga-Wairua, where the spirits of the dead leave the earth for the afterlife.
So early that morning I stood outside my hostel, waiting for the bus to stop and pick me up as arranged when I booked the trip a few days before. One bus drove past and didn't stop, then another, then another. After 20 minutes of waiting I began to realise
that something wasn't quite right, so I went back into the hostel to call the tour company. Sure enough, it seemed that the bus driver had 'forgotten' to pick me up and apparently they were now too far away to turn back. After my explaining to them that I only had the one day in which to do the tour, I was offered an upgrade to a flight and 4WD tour of the area instead! After considering this for, ooh, all of one second, I agreed and was whisked to the airport where my flight was about to leave. All I can say is I am so glad that bus driver didn't stop that morning, as my trip was so much better than the bus tour would have been. I had never been in a light aircraft before so that was fun in itself, and the views I got from above were breathtaking. I think I'll let the photos do the talking.
The next day, Christmas Eve, I headed back to Auckland to join Kathy and Rob (two lovely Kiwis I met in Buenos Aires) and their family for Christmas. Last night we went to a carol service at
their local church, which was lovely (if a little more progressive than the usual service back home!) and it helped to get me into the festive spirit. I write this on Christmas Day, sitting in their house, still completely stuffed full of a traditional New Zealand Christmas dinner and feeling rather happy to be here and so grateful for the Andersons for all their warm hospitality (I even got a couple of pressies to open this morning!). However I do miss my family and friends enormously. It is strange to think that, at 8pm here, most people in England haven't even begun their Christmas Day yet, whereas mine is nearly over. So, wherever you are in the world, I reiterate my opening statement in wishing you a very Merry Christmas and an extremely Happy New Year!
Tomorrow, Stu arrives from Australia and we pick up the camper van before taking off for 3 weeks' exploration of the South Island . . . watch this space for more details!
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Mum
non-member comment
Happy Christmas!
Lovely to see such up to the minute pics. Hope you had a great day. You are asleep now, and we are still celebrating - seems a little weird! Hope the trip in the camper van is good. Speak to you soon. Love Mum xxxx