Best of New Zealand - 4th March - Paihia - Bay of Islands

Friday 4^th March – Paihia, Bay of Islands

Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the far north of the North Island. It is located close to the historic towns of Russell, and Kerikeri. Although the name Paihia appears to be in the Māori language its origin and meaning are unknown. Missionary Henry Williams settled in Paihia in 1823 and built the first church in New Zealand there the same year. William Williams joined his brother in Pahia in 1826. Bishop William Grant Broughton (the first and only Bishop of Australia) visited the Paihia mission in 1838 and performed several firsts in New Zealand including the first Confirmation and Christenings.

In December 1832 the first mention of cricket being played in New Zealand was recorded by Henry Williams. In 1835 a game of cricket was witnessed here by Charles Darwin.

In 1835 William Colenso set up the first printing press in New Zealand at Paihia.

WAITANGI - The Birthplace of the Nation

The Waitangi National Trust estate - New Zealand's most historic site as the 'Birthplace of the Nation' is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on the 6th of February 1840.

Waitangi, a 506 hectare (1000 acre) reserve, presents a rare opportunity to experience the place where both Maori and the British Crown signed New Zealand's famous Treaty of Waitangi. The reserve includes recreational areas, tidal estuary, mangrove forest, open coastline and native bush.

A Beginning

The Bay of Islands was an important area of early Polynesian settlement in New Zealand. It was also the scene of contact with early European explorers including James Cook, Marion Du Fresne and Dumont D’Urville, all of whom stopped here. Whaling to the South Pacific brought ships to the Bay of Islands. Early whalers and sealers traded with the Maori and Kororareka (present day Russell) became the centre of trade in New Zealand.  Muskets eventually became a major item or trade and conflicts broke out at Kororareka between Maori and Europeans, between whalers, seamen and missionaries.

In 1832, James Busby was appointed as British Resident to protect British commerce and put an end to the outrages perpetrated by British subjects against the Maori. Under his guidance, twenty-five northern chiefs and Europeans met at Waitangi and chose the country’s first flag.

 The following year, alarmed at the news that a Frenchman had bought 40,000 acres of land in the Bay of Islands, Busby organised 35 chiefs to sign a declaration of independence to prevent further foreign intrusion.

The Treaty

Lawlessness and land disputes were becoming common when Captain William Hobson sailed to New Zealand to suppress an armed clash between settlers and Maori. He returned in January 1840 as Lieutenant Governor and, assisted by Busby and the Reverend Henry Williams, drafted the Treaty.  On 5 February 1840, Hobson addressed a large gathering of Maori chiefs, assembled by missionaries at Busby’s home. A large marquee with a frame of ship’s spars and covered by ship’s sails was put up on the front lawn outside Busby’s house. They debated the question of accepting the Queen’s governorship, the chiefs retiring across the river that night to continue their debate. The following day Hone Heke became the first of 46 chiefs to sign the Treaty of Waitangi.

 Missionaries and officials carried the Treaty around the country so that over 500 Maori leaders could add their mark to the document. The Maori people ceded their governorship to the Queen and she in return guaranteed them the possession of their lands, forests, fisheries and other valuable property they possessed. They chiefs yielded to the Queen the sole right of purchasing their lands. They were granted the full rights and privileges of British subjects. On 21 May 1840, Hobson proclaimed governorship over the whole of New Zealand.

The Treaty House

Originally known as the 'Residency' the Treaty House was originally built in 1834 for James Busby, and is one of New Zealand's oldest surviving buildings. The frame of the house was shipped from Sydney, Australia in 1833 and was completed at Waitangi the following year. Most of the weatherboards are New Zealand native kauri and the framing is Australian hardwood. The chimney bricks were made in Parramatta, Sydney, hand forged iron nails were used and the roof was shingled. 

The story of the Treaty house does not end with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. By 1844, Busby was in financial difficulties with his commitments in Sydney. He boarded a whaling ship to America with 30 tons of kauri gum which he hoped to sell to clear his debts. When he returned in 1846, war had broken out in the Bay of Islands and his wife and children had returned to Sydney. The house was plundered, lead stripped from the roof and the windows removed by a friend for safe keeping. With Busby’s permission, army officers occupied the house during the land wars. 

When the family returned it took a long time to rebuild and repair the damage. By the 1870s the house had reached its heyday and it sank into decline once more when the Busby family left. The estate became a farm and sheep camped in the house, the front of which was used for shearing. It was not until 1932 that the Governor General, Lord Bledisloe, bought the house and grounds, gifting it to the nation. A trust was set up that same year to administer the house as a national memorial.

The Waitangi Treaty House represents one party of the Treaty. The other prominent building in the historic precinct is the Whare Runanga, a Maori meeting house standing as a monument to the nation, its people, and its ancestors.

Sir Apirana Ngata pointed out that a carved meeting house (Whare Runanga) should be built at Waitangi by Maori to commemorate the centennial anniversary in 1940 of the signing of the Treaty. Building began in 1934 and the result is unique.

 Unlike most Whare Runanga which are built as a monument to a particular tribe and their ancestors, this one contains carvings representing tribes from all over New Zealand.

 Both Whare Runanga (meeting house) and marae (grassed area in front) form an important part of Maori culture, with strict protocol governing proceedings and behaviour. The meeting house often symbolically represents a notable ancestor and carvings and tuku tuku (woven panels) within the house record the stories of the people. The apex of the roof represents the ancestor's head, the ridge pole his back bone, the bargeboards his arms, the rafters inside represents the ribs, and the interior his chest.
 A short walk from the Visitor Centre leads to Hobson’s Beach and the canoe house.

The Canoe

Ngatokimatawhaorua, the 35 metre long war canoe (waka) is one of the largest ceremonial war canoes in the world with a hull carved from two massive kauri trees, felled in the Puketi Forest in Northland.

 It is launched each year for the ceremonial commemoration of the signing of the Treaty.

Matakohe is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Matakohe River is a short river which runs from the north into the Arapaoa River, which is part of the Kaipara Harbour.

The Kauri Museum at Matakohe shows the area's heritage in the kauri timber industry, the Matakohe block was first settled by Pakeha in 1863, when members of the Albertland religious group arrived in New Zealand. The land was initially burnt off to allow for the planting of crops and grass. A weekly (initially monthly) ferry service brought mail, and a road was constructed to Paparoa. In 1881, the longest wharf in the Kaipara—1,450 feet (440 m) long—was built at Matakohe to accommodate the steamers. Minnie Casey served Matakohe in the 1880s, and the S.S. Ethel, then the S.S. Tangihua in the 1890s.

The kauri gum industry became established around Matakohe in 1867-70, possibly the first place in the Kaipara District that the industry developed amongst settlers. A flax mill was built in 1870, but it was not profitable and was soon converted to a timber mill. This was replaced by a larger timber mill in the 1880s. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1906. Matakohe held a race-day each February, in which were entries from as far as Kaiwaka and Waipu.

In the 1890s, the population of Matakohe increased from 93 to 231, and the town was described as "the principal place in the Otamatea County". By 1902 the town had two boarding houses, a library, stores and a goods shed, as well as the older church and school. The population reached 264 in 1906, but declined to 141 in 1921.

Focus shifted to dairy farming in the early 20th century. Apple growing was also successful at first, but ceased by 1935 due to the Great Depression and poor management. The roads improved, and by 1920 all 53 miles (85 km) of roads in the area were metalled, using the abundant local supplies of limestone.

Tāne Mahuta is a giant kauri tree (Agathis australis) in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. Its age is unknown but is estimated to be between 1,250 and 2,500 years old. It is the largest kauri known to stand today. Its Māoriname means "Lord of the Forest" (see Tāne), from the name of a god in the Māoripantheon.

The tree is a remnant of the ancient subtropical rainforest that once grew on the North Auckland Peninsula. Other giant kauri are found nearby, notably Te Matua Ngahere. Tāne Mahuta is the most famous tree in New Zealand, along with Te Matua Ngahere. It is thought it was discovered (by Westerners, as it was already known to Maori) and identified in the 1920s when contractors surveyed the present State Highway 12 route through the forest. In 1928 Nicholas Yakas and other bushmen, who were building the road, also identified the tree.

According to Maori mythology Tāne is the son of Ranginui the sky father and Papatuanuku the earth mother. Tāne was the child that tore his parent’s parental embrace and once done set about clothing his mother in the forest we have today. All living creatures of the forest are regarded as Tāne’s children.

The Journey

Leaving Auckland we cross the harbour bridge and start our journey north, passing farming communities, our first stop, is at the Kauri Museum, this is also our lunch stop across the street there is the Gumdiggers Café, they have a selection of sandwiches and pies !! as well as baked goods. We continue north passing the agricultural area and town of Dargaville. The afternoon stop is in the town of Omapere. Later we arrive in Paihia where we meet our local guide for a short orientation before visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, once we complete our visit we shall check in at the Copthorne Resort, for 3 nights, Buffet dinner is included this evening, with breakfast included throughout our stay.