Our first stop was to the home of our FAVORITE YOGURT OF ALL TIME! Seriously, you just can't imagine how delicious it is - VERY DANGEROUS!!!Puhoi Valley also makes wonderful cheese and . . . our friend, Scott introduced us to our FAVORITE CHOCOLATE MILK OF ALL TIME - the Puhoi Belgian Chocolate Milk tastes like a liquid Belgian Chocolate Bar! Oh, my!
Remember when we told you about the amazing dairy products here in New Zealand? Well, we weren't kidding! NZ's "happy cows" produce the best dairy products we've ever tasted! Bad for us, because it all contains calories!
The Travelers: Susan and Scott Seamons, Louenda and Vance Downs, and us.
This macaroni and cheese picture is for our grandson, Cody! Yes, man - the BEST!
A lovely view at Puhoi.
Our next stop was the "Honey Center", where we watched live bees and tasted different honey flavors. Here, we learned a lot about Manuka Honey, which is popular in NZ because of it's very strong anti-bacterial properties - it can even be used topically. The Manuka tree is native to New Zealand and grows in remote bush areas - maybe that's why this honey is a little pricey. (We thought of you, Bean Family!)
Next, we visited a Saturday Market and Craft Fair in Matakana. As we drove into town, we passed by the city's unique bathrooms! The fair was fun, all the "pink" trees were festive, we loved the "Dog Minders", and the fresh fruit ice cream was like nothing else! We even bought a handmade quilted wall-hanging with Maori symbols to put in our apartment.
We stopped by two nearby waterfalls. The one on the left was in a park in the middle of a neighborhood! We ate the best hotdogs in Pahia, then ferried over the bay to the quaint little town of Russell. Formerly known as Kororareka, Russell is located in the Bay of Islands in the northern part of the North Island and was the first European settlement and seaport in New Zealand.
On the ferry crossing, we saw this boat - Notice the name - Perfect!
Russell is a lovely place. We spent the night there in a delightful lodge - a stone's throw away from the bay and town. We will let you enjoy a few pictures of the beauty - Of course, pictures don't do it justice!
Russell is a lovely place. We spent the night there in a delightful lodge - a stone's throw away from the bay and town. We will let you enjoy a few pictures of the beauty - Of course, pictures don't do it justice!
We ate dinner at The Duke of Marlborough Hotel, which dates back to 1827 and is NZ's first licensed hotel and restaurant. We treated ourselves to the signature dish - Shoulder of Lamb - with our own master server! Notice the Diet Coke!
In 1845, Russell (Kororareka) was the scene of the opening round of the "New Zealand Wars." The short Battle of Kororareka saw fierce fighting between experienced Maori warriors and a combined force of settlers, soldiers, and sailors. Many of those who died are buried at the church, which is the first church in NZ. You can still see the musket ball holes in it from the battle.
The VERY strange thing about this church was the huge, dark-colored cat that met us on the walkway just inside the gate. It just sat and stared at us - seriously, it didn't move at all the whole time we were there! Strange thing was . . . we noticed just up and to the right of the cat, there was the grave of a little 2 year-old named "Kitty"! (You can see the grave in both pictures.) Twilight Zone!!!
We spent the night at the Hananui Lodge - after a beautiful walk along the bay of course!
The next morning, we had breakfast (courtesy of Puhoi) - Belgian Chocolate Milk and Double Cream Brie! We couldn't get enough of the beautiful bay; then we were on our way for a short drive up to "Flagstaff Hill" and a knock-out view of Russell.
The view above shows the shadow of the flagstaff on the hill. You can't really see it in this picture, but there is an identical flagstaff across the water at the location of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi . . . that is where we headed next.
WAITANGI TREATY GROUNDS AND MUSEUM
The Waitangi Treaty Grounds is New Zealand's most historic site where in 1840, the country's founding document was signed: The Treaty of Waitangi. The date of the signing is a National Holiday in New Zealand - February 6th - Waitangi Day. The treaty was signed by representatives of the British Crown and various Maori chiefs from the North Island and gave the Britain sovereignty over New Zealand and the right to govern the country. It recognized Maori ownership of their lands, forests, and other properties, and gave Maori the rights of British subjects. Maori believed they gave up the right to govern in return for protection, without giving up their authority to manage their own affairs. Even today, there are debates about this treaty and it's effects on the Maori people.
This is the flagstaff which marks the spot where the treaty was signed and matches the flagstaff in Russell on the other side of the bay.
On the treaty grounds, there is a HUGE waka, the Maori canoe. It is so big, we put 2 pictures together just to give you an idea of how long it is!
This waka was made out of 3 huge Kauri trees. We are standing inside of one!
We also saw a bunch of "Koru"! (to the left)
The Maori meetinghouse (Wharenui) symbolizes an ancestor (iwi) of the tribe and is carved, inside and out, with images of the ancestor. On this house, you can see the ancestor on the top.
Before we went into the Wharenui, the Maori's had to see if the "chief" coming to their house, came in Peace. Can you guess who the chief was?
The Maori warriors were quite intimidating
and their chief ran up to Don and pointed his spear right in Don's face!
. . . but Don, the brave Colonel Chief was undaunted!
He laid a twig with a special leaf on it at their feet;
his offering was accepted, and he was led inside (along with his "tribe") for the rest of the ceremony.
The Maori Chief gave a speech in welcome and then Don gave a speech, saying again that he came in Peace. The two Chiefs then gave each other the formal Maori greeting -
the touching of the forehead and the bridge of the nose.
The Maori chief saw Don's Missionary badge and whispered as they shook hands: "I'm a member too."
Then the Maori's entertained us with a wonderful program filled with traditional Maori songs and dances.
And then . . . We all turned into Maori's!
Learning about the Maoris and the Treaty of Waitangi was so very interesting. We thought this plaque in the museum was poignant and sad.
FYI: The results of New Zealand's National Election was announced on October 7th.
The Maori party doesn't have a single seat in Parliament.
Reminder to selves . . .
We live on an island.
an island surrounded by islands;
filled with natural beauty,
history and tradition,
great food, and enjoyable companions.
We are blessed.
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