MOST EXCITING RIDE OF MY LIFE -NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

Finally, we reached Rotorua. I suddenly saw steam coming out from the ground, my instant thought was, "Oh God, there is a fire!" and I shouted it loudly, immediately to be shut down by my husband, who caustically said, “My dear, we are in geyser and hot spring land, the one and only Rotorua."

Situated on the southern shore of a lake is Rotorua, one of New Zealand’s largest tourist destinations, a geothermal paradise which has attracted visitors from around the world for over 160 years.

It is renowned for its fascinating Māori culture, its hot springs, boiling mud pools, spouting geysers, warm geothermal springs and silica terraces.

Rotorua is home to the ‘Te Arawa’ people who settled here 600 years ago; today they offer visitors the opportunity to experience authentic traditional Maori villages, such as the Buried Village, Whakarewarewa, Te Puia, Mitai, and Tamaki Māori Village.

We alighted at the Sudima Hotel Lake Rotorua, which enjoys a location that is second-to-none on the shores of beautiful Lake Rotorua, adjacent to the world-famous Polynesian Spa complex. After freshening up, we had a walk around, seeing Lake Rotorua and gardens; there sure was a distinctive, sulfurous smell of geothermal activity.  

We settled into the peaceful lakeside setting and enjoyed lush spa therapy in the mineral spring hot pool at Polynesian Spa while taking in the views of Lake Rotorua. The spa was voted among the world's top ten spas by Condé Nast Traveller Magazine.

We were strictly instructed to remove all metal ornaments, as they would simply dissolve in the water.

That night during the complimentary buffet dinner, Tony suddenly announced a cake-cutting ceremony for a lovely couple from Australia. It was the 50^th wedding anniversary of the young-looking couple; none of us could believe it. Apparently, they were married very young at 17 and 15 years of age.

The next day we got up and left for Rotorua’s most popular attraction, ‘Skyline Gondola,' which is a scenic ride to the top of Mt Ngongotata, which has a dormant volcano and is 487 metres above sea level. The 900-meter-long Doppelmayr cableway system transported our group on a gentle, scenic ride up to the Skyline Rotorua complex.

The gondola was very clean, and the view from it was awesome; we could see right across to the entire city with its spectacular geothermal vistas. It sure needed us to get used to the sights of steam arising randomly across the city and a beautiful blue lake with lovely slopes, lush gardens with beautiful flowers, and sheep grazing the grass and looking at us sleepily, wondering what we were doing so early in the day.

We were immediately directed to the cableway restaurant, where we had the best breakfast of our tour in North Island. Coupled with the decor of the restaurant, warm service and the panoramic views through the big windows, it was a culinary and visual treat for all of us.

After breakfast, Tony came with the news that now we could go for the luge ride. Luge is a gravity-fueled ride where we can zoom down the side of a mountain in a four-wheeled cart, with a unique braking and steering system, before catching a chairlift to the top to do it all over again. This is where the luging adventure all began in 1985.

Skyline Luge has three tracks of differing skill levels winding through numerous twists in a beautiful redwood forest.

Precautions have to be taken before riding the luge, and there was a big list which included, among other rules, that one must be in good health and be free of height conditions, motion sickness, back problems, or other physical limitations. Expectant mothers should not ride.

This made me hesitate, as I had slight cervical spondylosis, but I saw our valiant friend who had a recent hip replacement striding forward to take the helmet, and I steeled my nerves and divested myself of the handbag to our Tony, who loaded himself very sportively with all our loose articles, which we were not supposed to take on the luge.

We went to select the helmets, feeling like warriors going for a dangerous ride.

After a short wait, we stepped into the luge, listened to the instructions, and got going.I was too engrossed in handling the luge to look around and get scared. Within minutes, we were at the bottom of the hill and rode the luge chairlift back to the top of the track with our luges attached to it. On the way, we had a wonderful view. It sure was an exhilarating experience; I was glad I could get rid of my inhibitions and enjoy the best ride of my life.

Once up top, one can choose to Luge, mountain bike, or zip line, Skyswing, check out the nature trails; shop at the Jelly Belly Store; enjoy Volcanic Hills wine tasting; or dine at Market Kitchen or Stratosfare Restaurant. 

As per our tour schedule, we had time only for a look at the Jelly Belly Store, where we could see famous paintings like the Mona Lisa created using over 18,000 jelly beans and buy jelly beans from a selection of over 100 flavours of gourmet Jelly Belly beans.

CHUGGING AWAY IN A STEAM TRAIN -NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

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 From Bay islands after seeing a helicopter at close quarters  doing coast guarding we travelled on our way  south via Whangarei to Auckland's north shore, the trip which lasted for 3 and half hours, tired after the exciting cruise we all had a good nap interspersed by Tony and Megan’s jokes.

Tony produced lollies unfailingly every single day of our tour, after half an hour he would come back with an empty cover to take back the rubbish . As we travelled back to Auckland we got to see stunning views of Rangitoto Island, Auckland Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf.

 Our accommodation was the Spencer on Byron, Takapuna, Auckland.We were very impressed by the hotel which  had unsurpassed panoramic views of Rangitoto Island, Auckland Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. Our hotel was located just 500 metres from Takapuna  a central, coastal suburb of North Shore, Auckland .

 Our room was a single bed room suite with suite lounge , sitting area with section sofa and TV , with wonderful views  over Takapuna to Auckland CBD, the views were panoramic  and  at night the sky gave  glittered with splendid and sparkling night views of Auckland .

There was a  Suite Kitchen,separate bed room, very comfortable beds, large mirror door closet and good selection of complementary toiletries. We were able to do our washing in the well equipped living area fitted with a washing machine and dryer and had complimentary washing powder, while relaxing in the lounge, both the lounge and bedroom had picture windows maximising the views.

The hotel had a club bar – breakfast room with adjoining room having frames with all VIP signatures, the lobby had a vertical garden and a lovely library.

The restaurant was the famous thyme restaurant. We had one of the best breakfasts on our tour at this hotel and started to Rotorua

On the way we first went to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) which is a heritage steam railway in Glenbrook  We felt a special attachment to GVR as my husband’s initials are also GVR ,Godha Venkata Ramana .

The GVR is run by a trust board of three trustees elected and appointed from Railway Enthusiasts Society (RES) membership. 

It is dedicated to the one of the world's leading working preservation railways with some of New Zealand's best examples of great Kiwi Locomotive designs that made the world envious.

It houses many different types of unique locomotives ranging in size from 3 tonnes to 110 tonnes, both steam and diesel. GVR prides itself for an extremely high standard of restoration, frequently winning special awards for locomotive, rolling stock and building restoration work.

We found out that all this is carried out by volunteers from as young as 8 to as old as 80, these volunteers freely donate their time and efforts to ensure the success of this rewarding and historically significant project

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Newcomers are trained by experienced people and standards are high with a quality of service and safety second to none, any one willing to spend time from just a few days to weekly or more often, throughout the year are said to be welcomed here.

 Various jobs are done by people from all walks of life in their spare time volunteers carry out a wide variety of tasks - ticket sales, souvenir shop and refreshment shop sales and preparation, motor and hand jigger operation, crowd control, assisting disabled passengers, ensuring tidiness of the station and facilities, public announcements and other mundane jobs

Guards travel on all passenger trains to look after the passengers, help them on and off the trains, check their tickets, answer any questions and make them welcome. Guards assist in testing the train brakes, signal to the driver when the train is due to depart helped by an Assistant Guard

The Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) operates over 7.5 kms of track from Glenbrook to Victoria Avenue in Waiuku with a further 500m extension onto Tamakae Reserve in Waiuku in the pipeline. They operate every weekend and most public holidays  ranging from Labour weekend to Queen's birthday weekend.

  Since the opening of the Glenbrook Vintage Railway in 1977 the entire track, which formed the original Waiuku Branch, has been replaced, in many places more than once, and extensive yards and sidings have been laid where none previously existed. This has all been the work of a well equipped, enthusiastic group of volunteers.

Trains depart from Glenbrook every 90 minutes starting at 11:00 with the last train at 4:00pm.

We were in time for the 11 am trip and we were greeted by the station master as soon we went into the station. The train came into the station huffing and puffing ,we got in and came to know normally passengers are welcome to alight at Victoria Avenue and explore the township of Waiuku and catch a later train back to Glenbrook but we  were on a tour package so we travelled only part of the trip. 

After travelling for some distance where we could see the country side and houses lining on both sides of the track, we went to the workshop at Pukeoware where the railway society has its workshops and several other engines are stored.

We found the volunteers maintaining their running locomotives in top condition and restoring others to operation. Workshop was well equipped and ensured that most repair and restoration work on locomotives could be completed on site. 

We also could get to see the Thomas engine which the kids really loved apparently

 The railway had a number of historic station buildings in its care, interestingly all being from former New Zealand Railways stations.

Glenbrook Station's terminal building is made up of the original Waiuku Branch line Glenbrook station and Patumahoe station buildings.

Glenbrook Station's picnic area shelter (and eventual platform 2 building) is the former Kingsland suburban station shelter, moved to Glenbrook in 2003 to make way for the double-tracking of Auckland's Western line

We found that all these buildings have been restored with so much love and care that they looked brand new

Special Events are often held, such as "Friends of Thomas" (the tank engine) weekends, Rail fan Days (with display freight trains and double decker buses), Country and Western days and night steam runs

After the ride in the train which had seats which could be twisted both ways both onward and return journeys, we went and stood on the outdoor covered viewing platform to get the real feel of the train journey .

We finally got down at the station where we were given tea, coffee and snacks by the lady volunteers,tea and coffee was served in pots covered with dainty  doilies

 we could also see the display of age old luggage  of passengers stored  and displayed so carefully for posterity.

 GVR went that extra mile to recreate the "Steam Theme" and helps people understand and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells that could only be found the golden age of steam.

Specially the young generation which never experienced the steam engines really enjoy this trip. All volunteers working as staff greeted us wearing the exact uniforms worn in that era.

We felt as if we had travelled back in time, as all of us had experienced the steam engines in our childhood, gone through the coal engine days, when sitting by the open windows we could feel the soot settling on our faces and body and by the end of the trip we would become as black as crows and would wear out the soap clearing the soot after going to our respective destinations.

We departed Glenbrook thrilled with happiness, having experienced the steam rail journey,memories of which we had long forgotten and began travelling through magnificent countryside of rolling hills and green pastures famous for dairying. We found all through our  New Zealand tour the cows and sheep busy nibbling the amply found grass and never had a moment to look up and see the the nosy and noisy tourists.

We continued to Rotorua to visit Paradise Valley Springs,

HOLE IN THE ROCK -NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

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After a sumptuous breakfast in the hotel we kept our bags out and proceeded to the Bay of Islands cruise center in Paihia for a cruise, special attraction of the cruise being the hole in the rock

As instructed by Tony all of us were carrying hats, sun screen lotions and goggles along with plenty of water. If the weather does not permit, whole trip would  prove to be a damp squib but luckily the sun was shining brightly and welcomingly.

All around us we could see deep blue water , a  beautiful blue sky above us and islands waiting eagerly to be explored, we were taking the Fullers Great Sights tour .

Finally we got into the luxury Catamaran  and we headed straight to the upper deck so that we wouldn’t miss a single island, we would be passing rocky outcrops, sandy beaches and an array of islands ,see Cape Brett Lighthouse, and Motu Kokako Island. We learnt that during warmer months, tourists make an island stopover on Urupukapuka Island.

 It’s been said that the Bay of Islands is home to some of the bluest skies in the world ,18th-century explorer James Cook has given this understated name when he stumbled into it in 1769.

The bay has an astonishing 144 islands, their profusion was more understandable when we learnt that these bays and inlets are actually 'drowned' valleys, and the islands are peaks of what were originally the highest 'hills.'

The staff on the boat were friendly and commentary was very interesting and informative. We had  many families on board, some with little kids who were running around closely guarded by their parents.

We left Paihia and traveled to Russell to pick up some more tourists.

The sea side town of Russell now a peaceful sleepy town and a most popular destination in the bay of islands was once known as Hell hole of Pacific which is hard to believe.

It’s bad reputation started in 1830s when it was the first sea port to be established in New Zealand ,it was completely lawless ,behind every grog shop there was a brothel and the first missionaries who arrived were  understandably astounded and pained by the rowdy and drunken behaviour of the soldiers.

The town now has a mixture of indigenous and European history, as evidenced in its architecture and historic sites.

 One could sail around the bay on a chartered yacht or explore the town at leisure, however we only had a look from the boat .

We were lucky enough to come across a pod of bottle nosed dolphins with a calf within ten minutes of leaving Russell .The dolphins appeared playful,dancing and cavorting along the catamaran and the captain allowed people on both the sides of the boat to catch a glance by slowing the boat, we could see dolphins, plenty of them frolicking in the white-water wake of many tour boats and private charters sailing around us.

 We were left wondering as to which direction to look to, dolphins continuously giving us impromptu dance performances, suddenly we found penguins swimming along with sea birds trying to call us a loud hello high above from the sky.

We could see the Cape Brett light house majestically standing 490 feet above sea level and also the part privately owned island Moturua where the sky TV NZ founder owns a summer house with apparently a tunnel running from the house to the shore for easy access.

At last we reached the Motu Kokako island also known as Piercy Island, off the northernmost tip of Cape Brett . It is an uninhabited  island dominated by sheer cliffs which rise 148 metres out of the sea, with a spectacular 16 metres high hole in the south western end ,which has been created by the erosion of sea for the past thousands of years.

As we approached the Motu Kokako island,we were stunned at the beauty of island and the Hole in the Rock ,historically, it’s very significant.

 We were about to follow the paddle-path of local Maori warriors who braved the current before each battle, seeking good omens. Our captain told us that it may not look too rough on the surface, but there sure was a reason why tour captains call it a natural washing machine and we started imagining the maoris navigating the journey in a tiny kayak!

 The island is of great cultural significance to the Ngapuhi, and was historically associated with a range of sacred customary activities.

 Motu Kōkako was said to be the landing place of the canoe Tūnui-a-rangi before it went to Ngunguru and Whāngārei.

 We heard stories of the brave warriors and their coming of age challenge to climb the island, of the Kokako, a now endangered bird that the island is named after by the Maori - "Motu Kōkako"

The island has a trust and the owners are battling with the boat operators for a fee towards the thousands of tourists who go through the hole.

Our captain called out to us,” shall we go through the hole “ only to be answered by all of us, a loud “yes” as none of us wanted to miss the golden opportunity given to us it being  a great day and the huge boat could go through that narrow hole.

As we waited with bated breaths, it became dark, people were hooting  horns and busy clicking pics , the boat slowly went through the hole and we came face to face with the silvery inner walls of the rock, droplets of water from the cave mouth fell on us which was  considered good luck by local Maori tradition.

Even after we left the place all of us craned our necks to look back at the majestic rock with its famous hole.

Though we had taken the 4 hour tour of the bay of islands ,there were over night tours ,hiking tours ,Dolphin watch tours and several others

VISIT TO CAPE REINGA AND 90 MILE BEACH -NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

The scenic hotel in Bay of Islands, where we had put up, had lush subtropical gardens and excellent guest facilities; we especially liked the welcoming atmosphere of this resort-style hotel.

The rooms were arranged in a spacious manner with adequate privacy; we thought it made the perfect base from which to explore the beautiful and historic Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is a three-hour drive from Auckland, it encompasses 144 islands, of which the largest is Urupukapuka between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula and includes boutique towns of Opua, Paihia, Russell and Kerikeri which is the largest .  

The bay is irregularly shaped and 16 km-wide, has a 260 km drowned valley system and a natural harbour , it is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its big-game fishing

There are excellent trips by tour operators by sea or air. A passenger ferry service runs between Paihia and Russell, while a vehicle ferry provides a link between Opua and Russell. On land, beautiful river and seaside walking tracks have been created.

With the help of Tony, all of us went to the tour operators and booked a trip to Cape Reinga, 90 Mile Beach, and the sand dunes. The next morning we woke up fresh, had a hearty breakfast and started for Cape Reinga, which is about 210 km by road to the north-west.

As we travelled north, we were in for the stupendous joy of tasting New Zealand's varying and beautiful landscape, the rolling hills of Northland's rural countryside with windy roads, breathtaking coastal views, and native forest. I was especially entranced by the blue skies, the bluest sky I have ever seen in my entire life

It is said that a visit to New Zealand is not complete without a journey to the very top of the North Island, which is Cape Reinga, known for its wild beauty and is an untouched region rich in Māori culture and tradition.

Cape Reinga is the northwesternmost tip of the Aupouri Peninsula at the northern end of North Island of New Zealand. State Highway 1 extends all the way to the cape, but until 2010, there was an unsealed gravel road for the last 19 km.

The cape is often mistakenly thought of as being the northernmost point of the North Island, and thus, of mainland New Zealand. However, North Cape’s Surville Cliffs, 30 km east of Cape Reinga and Cape Maria Van Diemen, are slightly further north.

Cape Reinga is said to be on the tentative list of UNESCO, waiting to receive World Heritage Site status

The 'Te Rerenga Wairua' component of the name in the Māori language means the leaping-off place of spirits. The 'Reinga' part of the name is the Māori language word meaning the underworld. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.

According to mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife to leap off the headland, climb the roots of the 800-year-old pohutukawa tree and descend to the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiki, using the 'Spirits' pathway'

Having heard so much about the cape from Megan and Tony, we were all very excited to get down from the bus at Cape Reinga, and we started climbing down the trail; we could hardly believe our eyes at the sight stretching before us.

We could see the sea with the crashing waves creating a white froth. People were scrambling down to the picturesque bays/beaches down below. Swimming is however, dangerous due to rips and erratic currents.

As I stood there on that hill looking at the two oceans, the Tasman Sea  with its turquoise waters dashed fiercely against the Pacific Ocean’s darker blue waves; it was spectacular and exciting. Looking at a sea always makes me feel very tiny and humble, and here there was a double dhamaka!

We were literally buffeted by strong winds and had to keep our caps firmly on our heads.I could see parents desperately catching their young children so that they wouldn’t fly away.

There were a lot of signboards and we went down, pointing out the various viewpoints, and though the path was quite steep, we could see a few benches laid for resting.

Finally, we reached the area where the lighthouse was situated.

The lighthouse at Cape Reinga was built in 1941 and first lit in May 1914, replacing a lighthouse located nearby that had been built in 1879. In 1987, the lighthouse was fully automated, and the lighthouse keepers were withdrawn. 
The previous 1000-watt light has since been replaced with a 50-watt flashing beacon

Originally, Motuopao Island was chosen as the site best suited for the location of a lighthouse to protect ships passing through the dangerous, turbulent waters at the northern tip of New Zealand.

However, by the beginning of World War II, it was decided that the light was in the wrong location, so in 1941 the glasshouse and light mechanism on top of the lighthouse were removed and re-erected at the new lighthouse settlement at Te Rerenga Wairua.

Standing at an impressive 10m height and 165m above sea level, it is one of New Zealand’s iconic landmarks.

The Cape Reinga light is electric, with the last lighthouse keeper being withdrawn in 1987. It is now managed remotely by computer from Wellington.

The 1000-watt light bulb magnified by the lens system throws a signal of warning 49 km out to sea and is often the first light in New Zealand that sailors see.

As we were all excitedly taking snaps around it, I felt that the lighthouse was observing us amusedly.

From the lighthouse it is possible to watch the tidal race, as the two seas dash to create unsettled waters just off the coast,

Getting down the track was much easier than going up; panting slightly, we took a sip of cool water and found a clean toilet to our surprise

The trip to Cape Reinga left us with a fascinating spiritual feeling, as we Indians also believe in mythology, I could literally feel spirits departing all around us, creating those  buffeting and strong winds on their way.

Hearts full of spiritual thoughts, we left for the sand dunes. Te Paki is basically a 10 km long, 1 km wide, coastal strip of 150 m high sand dunes

The sand dunes were to be approached through the Te Paki Stream, which can be dangerous at times because of the treacherous driving conditions caused by the interaction of the sand and water.

Drivers have to enter the stream at their own risk, as the sand is quicksand and, in olden days, horses were lost here. If buses stop in the middle of the quicksand, they'll sink into the sand up to the axles in no time at all, so drivers are instructed to engage in low gear to avoid stalling, not stop in the stream or speed, and drive mainly in the centre of the stream bed.

We were told that wet weather and seasonal conditions could cause a rapid deterioration in the stream and beach conditions; however, we were very lucky that day to go through fantastic weather and, after gingerly driving through wet land and sand, the bus stopped at the sand dunes. All around us, we could see enormous sand dunes which are supposed to be the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, and the climb to the top was quite tough as we were slipping in the sand, and we also had to take with us sandboards on which we could slide down.

Some of our friends managed to slide down the dunes, and a few enthusiastic people even went sailing into the stream beyond, getting themselves thoroughly wet.

Our next stop was the 90-mile beach which was a misnomer, as the beach is actually 55 miles but in the olden days they measured the distance that a horse could travel in a day which was thirty miles, and as it took a horse 3 days to make the journey, it was called 90 mile beach—but they forgot that the horses were travelling much slower on the soft sand, but even so, the name has stuck!
In the days of sailing ships, many vessels were wrecked on this beach. It needs a lot of dexterity to drive a vehicle on this beach; it was a thrilling experience to race along the beach in a bus with the sea on one side and the waves playfully threatening to gobble us up.

In 1932, the beach was used as the runway for some of the earliest airmail services between Australia and New Zealand. It is officially a public highway and sometimes used as an alternative road to State Highway 1.

After some time, the bus stopped, and we clambered off and sank our feet into the warm sand of the Tasman Sea. It is said that Surf Patrol guys sometimes do 3-5 rescues a day, pulling out cars and motorbikes and rescuing people from crashed vehicles, as well as rescues from other water sport activities.

Our final stop was a shop - Ancient Kauri Kingdom (a shop selling kauri gum products)—where we could see an ancient stairway made of massive kauri logs and stumps extracted from local swamp land, leading up to some more interesting gum products. 

TREATED TO THE TREATY GROUNDS -NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

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Next on our tour was the bay islands where we were going to stay in the Scenic hotel. Before checking into the hotel we were dropped at the Waitangi Treaty grounds (Waitangi meaning weeping waters in Maori) situated close to the town of  Paihia grounds and our bus was taken to the hotel where our luggage was placed in our rooms.

We were handed over to the tour guide, a hefty  young local Maori girl who was very fiercely proud of her heritage, we were given tour badges to distinguish our group and portable wireless tour guide speakers ,our guide had the transmitter, these were very convenient as we could hear our guide very clearly without crowding too close to listen to her.

 We found that Waitangi Treaty Grounds ,very pleasing to the eyes, was an easily accessible location for people of all levels of fitness and mobility. It had 18.5 hectares of varying landscapes from native bush, boardwalks, paths, tracks, beaches, lawns, and coastal cliff top, standing at the top we could get an awesome view of the sea

There was a gradient slope to the tracks from the upper to lower areas of the grounds, and our guide while we were leaving very effectively maneuvered backwards without once looking back, however we walked sedately on the boardwalks and paths provided looking around the land scape

 Waitangi is best known for being the location where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed on February 6, 1840. It is also the place where the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand was signed five years earlier, on October 28, 1835, the treaty is still considered New Zealand’s founding document.

Waitangi day is the annual celebration of the signing, and is New Zealand's national holiday

We were first taken on a tour of the Treaty House, New Zealand's most-visited historic building.

The house and grounds have been the focus of Waitangi Day events since 1934. It was first occupied by James Busby and his wife Agnes Busby, James acted as the British resident in New Zealand from 1832 until the arrival of William Hobson.

 Also known as “the residency”, treaty house was the base of the British government of New Zealand from 1833 to 1840. In preparation for New Zealand Centenary in 1940, the Treaty House was restored in the 1930s, and the Maori meeting house was built beside it.

 In 1932 Governor-General Lord Bledisloe gifted it to the nation and it underwent major restoration work, first in 1933, when it was named the Treaty House, and again in 1990.

 This well-maintained house was like a mini museum in itself with rooms showing what colonial house looked like back in the olden days,  museum-like exhibitis showed what every-day life was like in the Bay of Islands back in the 1830s. I could imagine the house filled with noisy children running about and guests crowding the rooms

The original house was pre-cut in Sydney of Australian hardwood and shipped to New Zealand for assembling on site in 1834. In 1840 it consisted of a parlour, one large bedroom, a central hall and a small dressing room. A separate building housed the kitchen, store room and servants’ room. Busby added three bedrooms at the back in 1841..

We next went to Carved Meeting House the Wharenui. A wharenui resembles the human body in structure, and usually represents a particular ancestor of the tribe.

The tekoteko (carved figure) on the roof top in front of the house represents the head, and the maihi (front barge boards) are the arms held out in welcome to visitors.

 The amo are short boards at the front of the wharenui representing legs, while the tahuhu (ridge pole), a large beam running down the length of the roof, represents the spine. The heke (rafters), reaching from the tahuhu to the poupou (carved figures) around the walls, represent the ribs.

We were lucky enough to step inside, we were asked to remove our shoes before entering.

The meeting house was impressive and projected effectively the power of the Maori culture though carefully carved wood. We spent our time looking at the small details carved in its walls and pillars.

 It stood facing the Treaty House, the two buildings together symbolising the partnership agreed between Māori and the British Crown. Apparently carving began at Tau Henare’s home community of Motatau in 1934, and the house was opened on 6 February 1940 very symbolically 100 years after the first signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

 We next walked down to the flag staff which had been erected to mark the exact place where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6th February 1840. It was erected by the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1934 and replaced in 1946. The mast is 34 metres high. The navy is still responsible for its maintenance.

It had three official flags that New Zealand has had since 1834 – the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand (the earliest), the Union Jack (from 1840) and the New Zealand flag (from 1902).

Next on our tour was the world’s largest Maori ceremonial war canoe, Ngātokimatawhaorua, the world’s largest, 35m long waka carved to perfection and sat looking out across the bay.

It was displayed in the waka house sheltered from rain. Very impressive in numbers (6 tons dry and 76 paddlers minimum), the fully carved canoe is launched once a year on 6^th February to celebrate Waitangi Day.

 Ngātokimatawhaorua   was launched in 1940. It was then laid up for 34 years in a canoe shelter.

 Today the canoe is moved via wheels and rail, but in olden days old logs were used to roll the vessel to the water. It had beams running for strength. The warriors would be sitting inside.

 Possibly the most famous guests onboard were Prince Charles and Princess Diana  during their 1983 tour of New Zealand and Australia.

The intricately carved or decorated stern post maintained balance, like a keel. It was made from three kauri trees lashed together with flax rope. Once wet the rope shrinks pulling the swelling wood sections together.
In 1974, the Waka was renovated for the Queen’s visit to Waitangi,. After the Queen’s voyage on Ngātokimatawhaorua, she designated it ‘Her Majesty’s Ship’, which makes the waka part of her Royal Navy.

After seeing the canoe ,we thanked our tour guide profusely and walked slowly back to the place where the now much lighter bus was waiting to take us back to our hotel