They have done a lot of work since our last visit nearly 20 years ago. It is the place where the Waitangi Treaty was signed between the maori tribes and the British.
We did a guided tour then had lunch at their cafe and then had a 30 minute “cultural experience”. They have also built a museum which opened last year and was very interesting.
The first photo above is the Treaty House, then their Meeting House, the war canoes and the flagstaff where the document was signed.
As we were driving to Waitangi we noticed that a cruise ship was in the bay and thought that it would be a busy day - but not the case.
We were told by one of the staff that the locals do not like the cruise ship visits. Today was the 1st of 63 ship visits this season. 2800 people on board and less than 100 visited Waitangi. The local shops loose money when the ships come! Thats due to the requirement by the shipping companies that markets be held and that money leaves town.
Tomorrow we head a little further south - destination unknown. This weekend is a long weekend in NZ and we are booked into a park just outside Auckland from Saturday until Tuesday morning when we fly out.
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