08.14.06
Day 11 All that jazz …
This weekend was the Bay of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival which was a total coincidence on the part of My Lovely Tour Guide 
to book us up there …
We had a quick stroll round the town of Paihia in bright sunshine coming across street musicians every so often – and even getting ’spotted’ 
It was almost a “Miss Delaney’ moment – but it was someone who knew Murray (and about me !!! 
)
From here we went to Waitangi which is very important in the history of New Zealand as a country as it was here the Treaty between the Maori and the Paheka (non Maori – mostly the Brits in this case) was signed in February 1840. The treaty meant that governorship of NZ went to GB and that meant peaceful land purchase for European settlement and the Maori were guarenteed potection over tribal authority and customs.
Whether the Brits kept their side is debatable but the Treaty and its clauses still underpin much of the political landscape of NZ today.
Have learned alot about Maori culture and history during this trip – and that New Zealand 
is much ‘newer’ than I thought historically … we’re only talking 1000 years since the first Maori arrived and settled and the Brits and others the early 1800’s …
Waitangi was very interesting the Te Wahre Runanga (meeting house ) there is unique as the carvings that adorn it represent ALL the Maori tribes of NZ so it is a meeting house to be shared.
It had a very spiritual feel to it – a bit like when you go into a church.
Waitangi Treaty Grounds
From here we drove back south a bit to catch the ferry across the Bay of Islands to our next stop – Russell – once known as the Hell Hole of the South Seas!!!!! 