In January 1840 Captain William Hobson arrived in the Bay of Islands to make a treaty with Maori chiefs on behalf of the British Government. It was to be an agreement between two peoples to live and work together in one nation. This agreement is as relevant today as in 1840, for it guarantees the rights of both Maori and non Maori citizens in Aotearoa (New Zealand).The Waitangi Treaty grounds are part of the National Trust estate comprising of 506 hectares. A naval flagstaff marks where the treaty was first signed. The ground hold the Ngatokimatawhaorua Maori Waka (canoe) that shelters in a 35 metre long house.
A minimum of 76 paddlers are required to handle it on the water. It was made from 3 massive kauri trees felled in the Pyketi Forest. It was launched as part of the centenary celebrations in 1940. This puppy would give Oxford and Cambridge a run for their money and has made the Guinness Book of Records for the worlds biggest waka.On route to our last night before collecting the van, we passed Kawakawa, Whangarei and Waipu. The former being famous for its public toilets! A Hundertwasser creation, http://toiletsoftheworldbook.com/?p=223 they served a purpose though. All a bit of a strange one though really, people hanging around toilets taking photos! The latter, Waipu, is a small town with big Scottish community stretching back to the days of the potato blight which forced many Scots on their way for the search of a new paradise. Stopping off at Nova Scotia, Australia and finally New Zealand, choosing Waipu for their new home.
for us and lent us a pan, yes, one pan, the rest was up to us. Challenge on, challenge excepted. Of course we had the leatherman, a spork and one tuppaware box but that was it. I think even Baden Powell would have struggled! No probs with the wine though as we had our flask lid and Dave had his a 50c Sesame Street mug from a charity shop in Noosa, so we were all good on the grog front.
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