Waitangi

---

We woke up bright and early and had breakfast in the hostel, neither of us were quite sure how we got to bed last night and why we were still fully clothed but after a cold shower we were ready for another journey.

We were going to Waitangi today and the treaty grounds where the nation was born, it was a lot closer than we though and were there in half and hour, we weren't quite ready to go in yet so decided to keep on driving and catch Waitangi on the way home.

We headed on through Kerikeri and Kawakawa and up the coast towards Cape Reinga, we stopped for lunch at Bledisloe Point then walked along the beach at Kawakawa. The beaches here are so different from Hawai'i, they go on for ever and you very rarely see another soul and it's the middle of summer and the school holidays, it really is amazing.

After luch we went to Harura Falls for some sightseeing, had a walk along another amazing beach then headed back towards Waitangi.

The treaty grounds are next to a fine golf course and I wondered if the Maoris owned that originally too, anyway the treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6th 1840 and they still get a public holiday on that date, now that's what I'm talking about.

The history is simple, the Maoris were the only people on the land for centuries then the Europrans came along in the late 18th century, Cook and Du Frense amongst others, people started to settle, whalers, traders etc and in 1815 the first Chritian mission was set up to teach the word of god to the Maori people.

By 1830 the Bay was crowded with visiting ships and was ripe for a hostile take over with the French and Americans ready to plunder her, it had gotten a reputation as the hell-hole of the Pacific because of the lawless behavious of drunken sailors and escaped convicts from other countries who settled here.

The British Government sent a diplomat from New South Wales (Sydney)to try to calm things down and in 1833 James Busby was declared British Resident in Waitangi, his only power was as a mediator but did help to set registration for local ships and hosted regular gatherings for the Northern Maori chiefs.

Things didn't really improve and King William (Boooooooooooooo) didn't help much but after his death the new Queen was keen to make New Zealand an important part of her empire and in 1840 Captain William Hobson made a treaty with the Maori chiefs on behalf of the British Government.

Now the problem with this treaty was in the translation, in English it was clear but when translated into all the different Maori tounges the cheifs ended up with very little that they started with and got even less in return, and they rest as they say is history.............

In theory the treaty is as relevant today as in 1840 because it guarantees the rights of both Maori and non-Maori citizens in Aotearoa (North Island).

It was really interesting to see the Treaty House and the flag posts and walk through the history of a pretty new country and also be speaking to the guides you realize that it's not as straight forward as the tourist sees, there's still not peace between different tribes of Maoris, let alone Maoris and settlers.

After a busy and interesting day we decided to go back to our hostal with some drink as a cheap alternative to the pub, after I'd finished my 6 pack and Fiona her wine she suggested we go to the pub for one as a night cap, I (reluctantly) agreed, while running down thge stairs before she changed her mind, and seconds later we were in the Beachcomber again.

There was a singer on and a hen pary in, it was Saturday night and there was zero danger we were only staying for one, after a couple of decent tunes the singer finsished his first set with the Proclaimers 500 miles, you cannae beat it, the Kiwi's were loving it and it almost brought a tear to my eye.

During his break I started chatting to him and asked him if he knew 'Sunshine on Leith', he didn't but he did tell me he used to live in the Pans and worked in some factory there, Prestonpans or Paihai, I could see why you came home mate.

Anyway before we knew it he'd finished his second set and it was chucking out time, we were really worse for wear tonight and after contemplating a night in the garden we made it up to our room, as you will see from the photo's the party didn't end there as I put on some music and we started jumping about the room, we were going to regret this tomorrow and had another busy day planned to New Zealand's first capital, Russell.

---

Photos

Treaty Ground
flag marks where treaty was signed, NZ flag at top, Union Jack and Maori shipping flag below

Fiona
meets the locals

Maori Canoe
150 people fit into it

Party Time
headphones included

Peace out
How cool am I?

Fiona
at Kirikiri beach