Waitangi, New Zealand's birth place and Maori legend

Waitangi Visitor Centre and Treaty House is a place hugely symbolic as it is quintessentially the birth place of the modern New Zealand.  It was on these grounds, on 6th February 1840, that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the Queens representative William Hobson and over forty North Island Maori Chiefs. It was and still is shrouded in controversy as two versions were actually signed – one in English and one in Maori – and they were each understood to mean different things.  Despite this the Treaty of Waitangi was New Zealand’s founding document and is still widely referred to even today. Indeed the 6th February remains a national holiday. Being a bit of an historian I found exploring Waitangi fascinating. There is nothing really to compare with actually being on the spot where history was made. It is a place of particular significance to Maori and the museum here focuses on their fascinating and captivating story. Equally impressive is the huge Waka (Maori War canoe) that is displayed at the grounds. Thirty five metres in length makes it the largest in the world and it was constructed from two giant Kauri tree. Its takes 80 warriors to paddle and it can be seen on out the water on Waitangi day each year.

Russell, 'hell hole of the pacific' it certainly isn't!

Looking to discover a little of New Zealand’s history with a visit to its first capital city. Russell was once been described as the ‘hell hole of the pacific’ and I therefore wasn’t too sure what to expect. It certainly wasn’t the sedate and peaceful little town I encountered. Back in the 1830’s and known then as Kororareka it was the outpost for fleeing British convicts, whalers, outlaws and sailors shamed for their drunkenness and debauchery. This savage behaviour led to the arrival of European missionaries who went on to build the towns two oldest surviving buildings, Pompallier Mission which was named after Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier and the oldest standing church in New Zealand named Christ Church. A tour of Pompallier Mission allowed me access to the former print works that I discovered is still used to this day to produce handmade books.  When it was built in 1842 it produced dozens of Roman Catholic titles and over a prosperous period of eight years it also printed some of the first books available in the Maori language.  A short stroll from Pompallier is Christ Church which dates back to 1836. Its walls still bear the scars of bullet holes from muscat and cannonball - a legacy left by the Maori and British sieges that dominated the township during 1845. The sieges central character is Hone Heke a name synominous with these parts.  He was Maori Chief at the time and felt despondent when the financial benefits from the Treaty of Waitangi failed to materialise. In his anger he took to cutting down the Union Jack that had been raised on Flagstaff Hill overlooking Russell.  Hone Heke succeeded in cutting down the flag no fewer than four times in the space of a year causing enough provocation to start what was proclaimed the first New Zealand war. Today a flag is still raised on the hillside but only on a select twelve days of the year, one of them being the anniversary of Hone Heke’s death.