Northland, Aotearoa

Haruru Falls

What can I say about Northland?  The truth is I don’t think words can do justice to the experiences I’ve had the past two days.  I drove north from Auckland yesterday along one of the prettiest stretches of road I’ve ever seen.  I’m only sorry that I was driving and had to occasionally look at the road.  I arrived in Paihia early afternoon and went straight to Haruru Falls.  You could walk out onto the rocks amongst the pools of water where I found a great spot to sit and take in the sound of the falls and meditate.  Om Namo Narayanaya Namaha.  =)

After the falls I did a 30 minute hike up to the lookout point above Paihia in the Opua Forest. Most of you know that I am not a hiker, but it was well worth it looking out over the Bay of Islands as the sun began to set.  I was tempted to stay and watch the sun go down, but the idea of un-hiking the hill in the dark deterred that ambition.  Instead, I stopped at the beach on the way back to the hostel, laid in the grass, and watched the clouds change color.  Rough life – I know.

Sunrise in Paihia

This morning I got up at 0630 and went down to the beach to watch the sun come up (symmetry). Granted, sunrise was actually at 0602, but it was still a gorgeous morning.  Today was my Maori culture day!  (I must apologize for any fallacy in my relay of information; this is just a recollection of what I heard today.) I went to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. “In January 1840 Captain William Hobson arrived in the Bay of Islands to make a treaty with the Maori chiefs on behalf of the British government.  Busby helped revise Hobson’s draft and Rev. Henry Williams of Paihia and his son, Edward, translated it into Maori.  On 5 February 1840 hundreds of Maori and scores of Europeans gathered in front of the Residency at Waitangi.  The Treaty was read and explained in English and Maori.  The chiefs debated all day at Waitangi and into the night at Te Tii, across the river.  On 6 February 43 chiefs signed the Treaty… Copies of the Treaty were then carried around the country.  By September 1840 over 500 chiefs had signed it.  Hobson proclaimed British sovereignty over the whole country on 21 May 1840.  Though debate continues over the interpretation of its parts, the Treaty is best understood as a whole.  It is an agreement between two peoples to live and work together in one nation.  This agreement is as relevant today as in 1840, for it guarantees the rights of both Maori and non-Maori citizens in Aotearoa New Zealand.” (from the Treaty Grounds guide)

I had a tour around the grounds including the 35m waka taua (war canoe) which is still used during the annual celebration of Waitangi Day (Feb 6), the Treaty House built in 1832 for the British resident James Busby, and the whare runanga (meeting house) which is the only meeting house in New Zealand representing all of the major Maori tribes.

haka

I had read in a guide that Christianity is very prominent among the Maori people due to the influences of missionaries who came to the island in the early 1800s.   In my mind, I found this loss of traditional beliefs as quite sad.  But, I heard today that the Maori were actually impressed with Christianity and the message of peace the missionaries brought.  Apparently the Maori culture has always celebrated a single God; the multiple “deities” depicted in their art work are actually seen as guardians, not gods (i.e. Guardian of the Sun, Guardian of the Sea, etc.).  Anyways, coming back from that tangent… I also saw a Maori cultural show in which all the ladies in the audience (myself included) got to try our hand at dancing with the poi (ball on a string) and the men got to learn some steps of the haka (war dance – well known for being performed by the All Blacks before matches, check it out on youtube!). We also heard the story of how Aotearoa (New Zealand) was discovered by the Maori.  If you’re interested I recommend reading more here: http://maaori.com/people/maoriara.htm

Maiki

After my culture-rich morning I decided to take the ferry across to Russell, what used to be “the hell-hole of the pacific” as it was the home of fleeing convicts, whalers, and drunken sailors. Now, it’s a quaint little town with a beautiful beach and even more beautiful yachts.  I did another hike up to Maiki, where Hone Heke chopped down the flagpole four times after the signing of the Treaty.

I spent about 2 hours in Russell then caught the ferry back to Paihia just in time to catch the local Farmer’s Market.  I really love it here.  I don’t want to leave!  But I am really looking forward to my train ride from Auckland to Wellington this weekend. 

Until next time,

All my love!