63 and free

We have been told by locals that this number of rainy days at the start of summer is unusual. They seem most apologetic.

We tell them this is a lovely summer day in Calgary, and that temps can reach -35°C there at this time of year. These are people that have never seen snow. Their expressions tell us everything.

Then we were off to Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where some say New Zealand was birthed. This is where the various tribes of the Maori signed a treaty with the British on Feb 6th, 1840. It is a hugely important date here.

Unfortunately it didn’t work out so well for the Maori. It was not easy to walk through the museum and come to grips with their history. But it is good to know that great strides are still being made to this day, and the Maori culture seems to be integral to New Zealand society today.

The Treaty House was a small 3 room bungalow (later expanded a wee bit) used by its owner James Busby and two others to draft up a 3 part treaty and translate it into Maori for the consideration of the various chiefs. It was written and drafted over the night of February 5th, 1840.

On Feb 6th, it was discussed for 6+ hours in a tent before finally signed into ‘law’. However, the words were not exactly upheld, as noted by Sir Apirana Ngata, the esteemed Maori leader and  parliamentarian that is on the NZ$50 bill. But that is quite the tangent…

The centenial celebration held on Feb 6th, 1940 also had great pageantry. The Maori spent years making a massive war canoe…by hand! It remains to this day the largest canoe in the world. 👇

We attended a cultural show by a few Maori in their meeting house. It was fabulous.

Then it was off to see bits of the Puketi Kauri Forest. Another humbling experience…