Waitangi, Heart of New Zealand

A good night's rest and I'm ready to explore. It is fitting that the last stop on my journey is here in the northland.  It is where the Maori first settled 800 years ago and where the Europeans first came to rest up from whaling and exploration and to trade with the Maoris. The northland has had a violent history between Maori tribes and then with the Europeans, who brought muskets but not their traditions of law and order. By 1840 the Maori's were being decimated and were receptive to making peace. They chose the English to partner with and after much debate amongst themselves the chiefs signed the Treaty which was better in the conception than the implementation. In the last 25 years the country has done much to make up for past injustice and last week they opened a museum on the grounds to document the history of the Treaty and subsequent actions. 

Now Waitiangi Day is celebrated by both Maoris and Europeans as a national holiday and there are big ceremonies here every year. When my host came to pick me up I told him how touching the day had been. He was so glad I felt like that and told me what it meant to him.. Apparently the people that owned his property before wouldn't allow the Maori to put their canoe's in for the ceremonial paddle over to the Treaty Grounds. The first year he owned the property he opened it up and now hundreds of Maori's come and the big ceremonial canoe is kept on his property for the whole week of celebrations.  He said he gets teary every time. He is a very good man.

 Here is my motel and part of the area where the Maori met to trade and make decisions. 

And the falls that kayakers can paddle under depending on the rainfall

When I told my host I was going to the Waitangi Treaty grounds my host suggested I walk over on the track that starts by the motel.  A 6+ km walk and he said it was beautiful. It started through familiar forest areas that you dear reader have seen many of before. This one had some different flowers and grasses

 and then it traversed a large Mangrove forest that was amazing. 

I've never seen anything like it before

 

Mudflats that look like miniature forests

For my last NZ trek I managed to find a track just as rugged as my first on the Coromandel where I took a face plant.  This one wasn't as steep and luckily not wet and slippery 

I knew I was getting closer when I could hear the Maori chant 

unfortunately they weren't quite warriors.

The Treaty Grounds have a dramatic view. It felt a little like being on the Plains of Abraham, people were quiet, just taking it all in while they waited for their tours to start. 

Especially this tired group of young hikers

This Maori meeting house was built after the area was made a park and used for all sorts of community activities besides entertaining us

The Maori canoes have notches in the hull to create bubbles that reduce the resistance and allow the canoe to go faster. Competitive sailing boats now use the scales on their hulls too.

The really big canoe above would hold 80 paddlers, The one below was easier to photograph.

We also had a show that I really enjoyed. It was similar but different enough than the first one.  

Afterwords they were talking to people outside and posing for pictures. The big guy called out saying 'Hey, lady with the camera, come here and get your picture taken too." 

So I did