December 7, 2022
Day 3: Waitangi Treaty Grounds
Off the bikes
For once, Mother nature is on our side. Today is a planned off-bike day. It's also unpleasantly wet and windy. Better to bluster now, I reckon, rather than waiting till tomorrow morning.
On the itinerary early this morning is a tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds just down the road. We go early, our group organisers having arranged both breakfast and a tour of the grounds before opening to the public. With a large cruise ship moored in the harbour, and thus lots of potential Covid cases wandering the streets, this is a welcome move.
It's hard to overstate the importance of this site to New Zealanders. Early (pre-1840) European explorers and settlers gravitated towards the warmth of the Bay of Islands where there was already a large Maōri population. Whalers, merchant seamen, escaped convicts from Australia and all sorts of riff-raff had populated the first European settlement at Kororāreka, just across the bay from Paihia. Yesterday's journal placed us in Russell at the end of our ride, a charming wee spot - now on its best behaviour, as I recall writing. Of course, Kororāreka became Russell once the riff-raff had been cleared out. Over the water in Paihia, Māori recognised the need for Britain's help in restoring order and a direct appeal to the Crown brought the first of a series of Residents and Governors culminating in the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 on this spot.
From the Ministry of Justice website: The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 and was an agreement between the British Crown and a large number of Māori chiefs. Today the Treaty is widely accepted to be a constitutional document that establishes and guides the relationship between the Crown in New Zealand (embodied by our government) and Māori - Ministry of Justice.
However, as our excellent guide, Alex, pointed out this morning, this relationship is an evolving and, at times, contentious one.
A few photos to finish:
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