Day 40 – Waitangi, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

It seemed very fitting that our first port in New Zealand was the site of this country’s most significant historic event. Viking Sky anchored in the Bay of Islands in the North Island of New Zealand, and we tendered ashore this morning to Waitangi. Waitangi was the site where the Māori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown assembled to sign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. This agreement is New Zealand’s founding document and established and guided the relationship between these two entities.

Tim and I were up early on this gorgeous day, with temperatures in the 70s, to board our motorcoach for the included tour, “Bay of Islands Panorama,” which was described this way:

View the historic Kerikeri Basin, admire Rainbow Falls and view the ornate Hundertwasser public bathrooms. Leaving Waitangi, you will travel through the countryside past lush citrus fruit orchards and russet-colored fields to Kerikeri. Here, you will enjoy a short stop at the picturesque Kerikeri Basin, New Zealand’s most historic site and home to the country’s oldest buildings, dating back to the early 1800s: the wooden Kemp House and the stone-constructed Stone Store. You will have the opportunity to photograph these historic buildings before a short drive takes you to the beautiful Rainbow Falls waterfall, along the Kerikeri River. Your tour concludes with a scenic drive via the quaint town of Kawakawa, home to the quirky public bathrooms designed by world-famous artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This iconic work of art even includes a living tree that grows through the center of its stalls.

As we travelled into the Bay of Islands, we passed green fields with cows and a few sheep grazing, and we learned that the price of wool has caused a drop in the sheep population. The area is known for Manuka honey and orchards, but we were too early for kiwi and citrus season, which begins in April. Our driver-guide also told us that the tranquility of the Bay of Islands has led to a population boom, especially among retirees, resulting in farms are being replaced by new housing.

Lovely Farms, Fields, and Cows

We soon arrived at Kerikeri Basin and had less than 15 minutes to view two of the country’s oldest surviving buildings – The Stone Store and Kemp House. I later learned that this site was known as the Kerikeri Mission Station and was one of the first places in New Zealand where Māori invited visitors to live among them. Heritage New Zealand described these buildings this way:

Established in 1819 by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) . . ., Kerikeri Mission Station was a junction of early Māori-Pākehā contact and a key site leading up to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi [Treaty of Waitangi].The Stone Store was very much built for the long haul, using local basalt plus Sydney sandstone. Open since 1836, this Georgian warehouse has been used as a trading post, library, barracks, school, general store, post office and dairy.Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest surviving building, Kemp House (1822), is a timber foil to its stone neighbour. Built from native timbers by missionary carpenters and Māori sawyers, it eventually became the Kemp family digs.

The Stone House (left) and Kemp House (right)

Kerikeri Mission Station

Māori Waka or Canoe

From there, we drove to the impressive Rainbow Falls, said to be the most spectacular waterfall in the area. The falls lived up to its name once we visited the second viewpoint, where we glimpsed a rainbow in the pool below.

Rainbow Falls and a Rainbow

Sarah and Tim at Rainbow Falls

We encountered a long road construction delay on the drive to our next destination, the town of Kawakawa. We passed by the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, the oldest railway line in New Zealand and the only one that runs down the middle of a state highway.

I Love Heritage Railways

The main attraction in Kawakawa, however, was the Te Hononga Hundertwasser Memorial Park, home to the internationally significant Hundertwasser Public Toilets. Created in 1999 by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, this toilet block building was the last structure he designed and built before his death in 1999. It is also his only building in the southern hemisphere. Somehow, I totally missed seeing the famous toilets, but I was charmed by the building itself and all its quirky features.

Te Hononga Hundertwasser Memorial Park

Building Details

When we returned to the pier, Tim joined me for a walk. I have become very interested in Māori culture and wanted to see the Waitangi Marae, or Te Tii Marae. According to Wikipedia, a marae “is a place where the culture can be celebrated, where the Māori language can be spoken, where intertribal obligations can be met, where customs can be explored and debated, where family occasions such as birthdays can be held, and where important ceremonies, such as welcoming visitors or farewelling the dead, can be performed.”

Entrance to the Waitangi Marae

The marae was under construction, but we were able to walk to the adjacent field and admire the totem pole-like carvings, known as pou or pouwhenua. We learned that this location is known as Tou Rangatira, or Seat of the Nation, which was designated for the purpose of framing laws, preserving peace, and regulating trade. It was here that Māori chiefs assembled to give mana to the Treaty of Waitangi before its formal signing at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Mana is a Māori word that means prestige, authority, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma, and more.

Tou Rangatira, or Seat of the Nation

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds were nearby, and I wanted to see if the original Treaty House was still standing. While Tim returned to the ship, I continued onward. I walked into the main entrance and discovered that the Waitangi Treaty Grounds encompasses a museum, heritage buildings, a waka, and cultural performances. The entrance fee was 70 NZD. Although I am sure I would have enjoyed the site, I just couldn't justify the price for an abbreviated visit.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

Instead, I walked back to the pier and caught the next tender back to the ship.