Montpellier's house

Russell the old Capital

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October 23rd 2012
Went to Russell accross the bay by ferry. This was briefly the old capital and a very lawless town in the 1800's. Ships containing numerous nationalities would pull into the bay and the sailors would behave like sailors of the time. A French missionery named Montpellier arrived in 1863 and set up a printing press to produce bibles in the Maori language. He was very influential in the signing o ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more