In 1840 this is where the Maori leaders signed a treaty with the British. The English version of the treaty stated that they surrended to the British, who would enforce law and trade etc and Queen Victoria would be their monarch. The Maori translation of the treaty was not quite as specific, and they have been fighting over it ever since!
They have the largest Waka (war canoe) ever hand carved, although it has never been used for war. It seats 150! It was used in 1963 to transport the Queen, when she visited. Before she left she asked if she could put HMS before it's name. It is now a part of the Royal Fleet and every year the Navy stop by and feed the local men on her behalf!
I then went into the marae, the name for the local meeting house, and had a bit of Maori dancing and singing. We saw similar in Rotarua, but it was good to see it again. The marae in Whaitangi is different because it doesn't face east, and it was built to represent all Maori clans. The carving on the walls represents all of the ancestors......obviously scary people!
A quick detour to Kerikeri and then it was cross country from west coast to east. I had forgotten how nervous I get driving in cliff side roads until it was too late! So spent quite a while just repeating "don't like it, don't like it" and more unrepeatable words (which was better than shutting my eyes!), until I was back down at sea level!
My home for the night was Hokianga. The hotel was on the edge of the inlet, less than a mile from the sea and facing a huge sand dune! I was early enough in the afternoon to plonk myself on the beach and read my book. Bliss.
Today after a quick stop at the viewing point in Hokianga, and then a quick jaunt to see Tane Mahuta, the oldest kauri tree in New Zealand, Violet headed South through the Waipoua Forest, which at least disguised the high roads, and South to Dargville. Highway 14 took us back to the east coast and Whangerei.
A lovely man called Vince, in the tourist information office then sorted me out with accommodation, a bus back to Auckland and an agenda for the rest if the day. I think I may need Vince to organise the rest of my life!!!!
I had a quick mooch around one if the parks, which had a canopy walk. But after 20 minutes of being in thick forest and seeing not a single other person I started to freak myself out, imagining all sorts of scenarios! How long would it take for someone to find Violet? Would the people in the campervan in the car park see the TV pleas for my return? Really must stop watching myrder mysteries! Anyway I practically ran the rest if the circuit!
It was then time to bid a sad farewell to Violet. We may only have travelled 432km together, and she was a bugger to park (being so long), but we were definite soul mates! I bet she won't like the next person as much as me!
In order to get over the trauma of our separation I headed to the Basin, the river front at Whangarei, which is all art galleries, cafés, sculpture trails. It took a moccacino fudge ice cream and a piece if art work for the house to console me! I really must stop travelling with a credit card!
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