Treaty Grounds & Russell

Friends of the sun, 

I've had enough of the sun for today and after an early start to the Australia Day, I've returned to the hostel and am sitting here with a caramel café, trying to finish a few posts before heading out for a harbor cruise to see the fireworks tonight. 

I mentioned I was heading to the Treaty Grounds, and what can I say: a truly historic visit, as I learned so much about the Māori and New Zealand's history. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are where the Māori chiefs came together to draft a treaty with the English that still stands today and is the only one of its kind in all British colonies. 

After a guided tour of the area, there was also a very good cultural performance by the Māori residents, explaining the significance of different dances and how these have been passed down through generations. 

Most of the dances performed with sticks and puffs were designed for hand-eye coordination for the warriors and their weapons. Super fascinating stuff.

The grounds also contain several museums that tell the history of the Māori and the events involving New Zealand troops in World War II. In both New Zealand and Australia, there is the ANZAC Day, which commemorates all the troops who fought for Australia and New Zealand. I must honestly say that I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of deaths from the other side of the world, as I hadn't expected the staggering number of names, even though I know how many lives this war claimed. And for this reason, and due to the current situation: GO VOTE!

After this visit reminded me once again how much I don't know and that there's always more to learn, I chose something light to end my day and took the ferry to Russell. It's a super small and nice town with many little shops, but especially many small art stores that were, however, found in the back part of the town. For the crossing, in classic Britta fashion, I treated myself to a delicious ice cream. (Strawberry and vanilla)

The weather was rather mediocre, and as I made my way back, it started to rain. I seized the opportunity to grab some delicious fish & chips and avoided cooking at the campsite. After that, I returned to the campsite, did a bit of blogging, and went to bed. 

Until the next post, 
Your Britta