Waitangi Treaty Grounds and Kerikeri (New Zealand Part 11)

The place where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed is located in Paihia. The signing by British government officials and Maori leaders is considered the birth of New Zealand.

We saw the building where the treaty was drafted and where the first British government representative, James Busby, lived with his wife and six children.

Admission included a guided tour and a performance of Maori dances, rituals, and songs in a carved meeting house.

Also on display was the world's largest ceremonial war canoe, which was built for the 100th anniversary of the treaty. It is 35 meters long and requires at least 76 paddlers. It is launched into the water every year on Waitangi Day, February 6th.

On the journey, we stopped in Kerikeri, where we saw two old buildings: Kemp House, which is now the oldest building, and the adjacent Stone Store, the oldest stone house in the country.

We crossed the Kerikeri Bridge to reach Rewa's Village, a replica Maori village built in the 1970s. Many buildings were not visible, so our short tour there quickly ended.

After so much history, we fortified ourselves with a tasting and a "thickshake" at a chocolate factory. In this drink, there are so many scoops of ice cream with milk that you have thick, very delicious calories to drink, so to speak.