The sixth of February is when New Zealand celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi - regarded as the founding document for the country.
And we get a public holiday and a long weekend in summer.
With absolutely brilliant weather we decided to camp on the top of the Southern Alps, the mountains that divide east and west.
I just wish I was there now, rather than slaving away at work...
Thought you were cursing in Maori or something there for a second.
What year was the Treaty signed?
They had a big party at Waitangi in 1840.
The big guns signed it on the 6th of Feb.
But in real life, several copies were circulated and it was being signed up until at least a year later.
Some iwi (tribe) and hapu (family) have not signed.
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I love this place.?ÿ I learn something new almost every day.
"Every year on?ÿ6 February,?ÿNew Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Mori chiefs signed what is often considered to be New Zealand's founding document."
"There are several possible meanings for 'Waitangi' ?? it literally translates as 'noisy or weeping water. ' Reed's Place Names of New Zealand notes that the literal?ÿmeaning?ÿof the?ÿWaitangi?ÿin the Bay of Islands may refer to the noise of Haruru Falls at the mouth of the?ÿWaitangi?ÿRiver."
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Wow.?ÿ Getting over 500 people to agree on anything is a miracle.
Sidetrack:?ÿ The name Haruru reminded me of a word used in the book, Watership Down.?ÿ A story about rabbits and how they see the world.?ÿ This is why I see a similarity: Hrududu?ÿis the?ÿLapine?ÿterm for anything with an engine or motor.?ÿThis includes everything from cars on a road to farm tractors. The word "Hrududu" comes from the sound that the motor makes.
"Goodbye" in Maori is "hei konei ra" but it also has a lovely deeper meaning regarding the crossroads in life, that can be translated as: "Wherever you choose to go, here or there (whether you choose to stay or go), go with the Sun."
