Babbling Brooke’s Travel Blog

Going back in time to learn about the historical and cultural significance of this part of New Zealand.

While Matt worked in the morning, I wrote out the previous day’s adventures, made breakfast and did a workout outside (so lovely and much needed after a day in the car).

With luck on our side, Matt’s work day ended early so we headed out to the nearby Charlies Rock Waterfall that I had spotted on Google Maps. After arriving at the parking lot we followed signs that led to a wildflower-filled trail. About 10 minutes later the trail opened up to not only the waterfall but a great looking swimming hole as well with basalt rocks acting like perfectly placed stepping stones to jump off of! Limited on time and more “checking the place out” for a future swim option, we took in the scenery before heading back to the car. The entire walk back we talked about how we felt we were exploring the Hundred Acre Wood, the Secret Garden, and Narnia all wrapped into one.

Back on the road we headed south and then east to Paihia. We only did a short drive through town to get a quick feel of the place before heading to the treaty grounds. First impression of Paihia: a beachside vacation town that is also popular to tourists (there was a cruise ship in the harbor, which lead to it being quite crowded). It did look like there were a lot of restaurants and shops, so a good place to wander around!

Arriving at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, we checked in and made our way to the treaty house for the cultural experience. When booking, we signed up for the combination of a cultural experience, a guided tour, Hāngi & concert as well as general admission which includes visiting the museum onsite. The great thing is booking it this way allows for a 2 day admission so that you don’t have to rush through anything. Unfortunately for us, we have limited time up in this region and lots to see so we did all we could in one day.

When it was time for the event to begin, our host described the history behind the grounds we were on and explained that we were to enter the Te Whare Rūnanga – the carved meeting house- that faces the Taonga or the Treaty House. The meeting house is beautifully carved with different styles representing the different iwi (tribes). The welcome ceremony was preformed which included our group electing a chief to represent us and receive a token of peace offered from a Māori warrior. The impressive display of pure badass-ery prior to offering of peace was essentially “Don’t play games with me and I won’t play games with you”, as our guide explained. It was serious in nature and not a time for laughing or smiling- just showing respect.

Once inside, videos were not allowed and honestly I was so present that, looking back, I really did not take photos that truly capture the experience. I’m not even sure that it is possible, frankly! The performance inside consisted of showing us visitors various historical songs, dances, fun pastime activities and general warfare tactics, weapons, warm ups, cool downs, and of course the haka! The acoustics in the Te Whare Rūnanga were incredible and singing of the performers was so powerful it’s impossible to not feel it in your bones.

After the cultural experience, we started our guided tour in which our guide led us through a more detailed history of the grounds, the overview of events which led up to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or the Waitangi Treaty, between the Māori people and the British Crown in 1840, as well as the aftermath.

We were led through James Busby’s Treaty house (which was brought over from Australia in the 1800s no less!) before heading down to the beach to see the traditional and ceremonial war canoe. The war canoe was MASSIVE. Our guide explained that it was carved out of 3 trees and linked together, with a majority of the hull being from one huge tree. It is manned by 80 men, 40 on each side, plus another 40 in the center as reserves. It is so giant it requires 400 people to bring it back out of the water since the wooden hull soaks up the water.

After the tour, we had some time before our Hāngi & concert began, so we went through the Te Rau Aroka or Museum of the Price of Citizenship. I really appreciated how there was no shying away from the complicated, and traumatic history between the Māori people and British colonizers. I can’t give an all-encompassing description in just a few sentences, as it would not serve the Māori people as they deserve. All I will say is the museum was both spiritual and enlightening. Highly recommend!

It was time for the Hāngi & concert so we made our way to the Whare Waka Café and received a lovely welcome drink as folks got settled (I chose my new fave NZ Sauvignon blanc, of course). Our host warmly welcomed us and explained the course of events. Per Māori culture, eating is saved for last to cleans the spirit and commemorate the coming together. We were shown where our future dinner had been cooking for hours and the smell was incredible! As before, a volunteer from the group became our chief and we walked through the tree canopy to accept an offering of peace from a Māori warrior before making our way back to the Te Whare Rūnanga for another wonderful, new performance.

The Hāngi, or communal dinner, was beyond delicious but clearly by this time my hunger won and the phone stayed away so I didn’t get any pictures (oops!) We feasted on sweet potato, pumpkin, stuffing, lamb, chicken, pork, and this exceptionally delicious cabbage, watercress, and coconut milk dish. For dessert, a sticky date pudding with pitchers of both butterscotch sauce and custard to pour over- I think it’s my new favorite dessert and was very reminiscent of the one I got in Auckland!

Our host closed out the Hāngi with a prayer and we said our goodbyes to the folks seated around us to head home. With a lack of photos, I’ll at least leave you with this prayer that was hanging:

I don’t want to do a disservice to the history and cultural significance of the Waitangi Tready grounds, so I will link sites for more information & where to book your experience:

https://www.waitangi.org.nz/visit/cultural-performances

https://www.waitangi.org.nz/visit/te-whare-runanga

https://www.waitangi.org.nz/visit/ceremonial-

https://www.waitangi.org.nz/book/hangi-and-concert

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