Today we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds near Paihia. It was here the chiefs of 43 Maori tribes signed the Treaty and pledged allegiance to Queen Victoria in 1840. Then we headed south to Thames for the night.
At the Treaty Grounds we visited their museum and then took a walking tour that ended with a traditional welcoming ceremony at a meeting house.
On the grounds we looked at a war canoe that could hold more than 100 people and travel at 30 miles per hour. It was built from a giant tree and the stump was also on display. We also visited the house of the first British colonial representative. In this house the Treaty between Maori tribes and the British was drafted in both languages.
The museum has on display the first flag of the Maori tribes and their Declaration of Independence. These existed prior to the pledge of allegiance to Queen Victoria.
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