Spirit of the Antipodes Day 20

 The sun was shining brightly this morning as I sipped my tea on our deck, watching the town come to life, and one keen swimmer stroking strongly through the sparkling water. 

After breakfast we decided to walk the 2 kms to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. As we rounded the point on the waterfront walkway, it was evident that the expected cruise ship was at anchor in the bay. Looking across the inlet to Waitangi we could see the unmistakable orange of cruise ship tenders pulled into the dock and plying the water back and forth to the ship as thousands of passengers were disgorged from the vessel. This made us question our decision to visit Waitangi this morning, however as we neared our destination, we could see a line up of buses, taking many of the passengers away from Waitangi to explore other destinations, so we continued with our plan.


Arriving at the Treaty Grounds, the first thing we noticed was that the cafe was no longer operational, so we backtracked slightly to the neighbouring Copthorne Hotel and its outdoor cafe for our morning coffee. Again arriving at the front entrance of the Treaty Grounds we were a little disconcerted to find that, not only did international visitors have to pay twice the entry price of New Zealand residents, but there was also no price point for museum and grounds entry only. The entry cost included a 50-minute guided tour and a 30-minute cultural experience whether you wanted to do these things or not!  Anyway, we paid the exorbitant cost and wandered in. The first museum building focused on the history of English and French settlement along with the circumstances that lead to the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi and the main players to this important piece of history. Then followed the trials and tribulations of the years following the treaty, leading right up to the present day and the ongoing Waitangi Tribunal. It was a very sensitively presented history of New Zealand and its diverse people. 


We then walked through a beautiful area of natural bushland until we emerged onto the side of the hill with the impressive and significant Flagstaff looming in front of us. 

A coffee van also appeared before our eyes and the lure of coffee and lunch was too great for us to resist, as was the glorious sunshine. 

Hunger sated, we moved into the second museum building then, which was the ‘Museum of the Price of Citizenship,’ detailing the support and sacrifice of the Maori’s in both World Wars. This was quite a harrowing exhibit, but again, beautifully presented. Other places to visit around the expansive site included The Treaty House, home of the British government’s first representative in New Zealand, and the place where the Treaty of Waitangi was drawn up. Facing this building, was the impressive carved Meeting House. The world’s largest ceremonial war canoe also has pride of place on the site. 




We managed to avoid any large cruise ship crowds and it was early afternoon before we set off for our walk back to our accommodation. 

Back home, we decided to take the car and drive out to find the location of the local parkrun, in readiness for tomorrow morning. We then took a scenic drive through the Waitangi Forest to nearby Haruru and its picturesque waterfall. From here we went further north to the surprisingly large town of Kerikeri. In contrast to the  town of Kawakawa yesterday, which had a somewhat frontier town feel, this was a bustling and modern centre, but with a distinguished history as the site of the first permanent Christian Mission Station in the country. As such it has some of the country’s oldest buildings, including the Stone Store, New Zealand’s oldest surviving stone building and earliest warehouse. We navigated the busy town centre and found our way to the picturesque Heritage Park where we found the old Stone Store which houses an interesting museum occupying the top two floors, and a shop on the ground floor. 




We explored here for a while before driving back to Paihia and a relaxing evening. 

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