Paihia: Waitangi Treaty Grounds

The day after our sand-dune surfing expedition, we headed to the Waitangi National Reserve (recommended by Erica). On these grounds in 1840, the Maori and the British signed the Treaty of Waitangi, giving sovereignty of New Zealand to the British crown in exchange for full citizenship for the Maoris. (The specifics were in disagreement within twenty years of this event, leading to the New Zealand wars. This history is quite interesting but not something I can accurately write down from memory. It is worth looking up if intrigued.) The Waitangi National Reserve commemorates the birth of New Zealand as a nation. Among reclaimed bush, the grounds contain the renovated Busby house, setting for the signing of the treaty, and two traditional maori works created for the centennial, a whare runanga (meeting house), and a war canoe, named Ngatokimatawhaorua (pictured below). As with any museum, I enjoyed walking through the grounds and reading everything.


The best part of the day, though, was a thirty minute He Toho. This is a performance by members of the local maori tribe. It was a rather informal affair; the big one is held every other night. The informality made it much more entertaining. The six performers sang, performed with poi (not the Hawaiian kind, but round balls at the end of string), and did some hakas. Check out the Haka video below.


We also got to participate. The audience participation section was supposed to be for kids but none of the boys in the audience were willing to get up there. So, of course, Joey, me, their parents, and one other couple got up. As you can see below, we were incredibly graceful and dignified. (Sorry, dad, you tried but I think I wasted all my grace at the wedding.)