Maori War Canoe, Waitangi 0293, Northland, New Zealand
For New Zealanders, the history of their modern nation begins at Waitangi. This is where, in 1840, the founding document of the country known as the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the chiefs of the Maori tribes and the British crown. Today, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds is New Zealand’s most important historic site.
The Treaty House, which was originally built in 1833 as the private residence of James Busby, the British government’s representative in the colony, has been beautifully restored and is now a small museum with exhibits on the treaty signing and early colonial life in the northland. Opposite is Waitangi’s Maori Meeting house, erected in 1940 on the centenary of the treaty signing. The meeting house’s intricate interior carvings are the work of famous Maori wood-carver Pine Taiapa. Afterwards, stroll via Hobson Beach to the Waka House, which displays the largest ceremonial war canoe in the world, carved from three kauri trees.
Epic New Zealand Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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