Waitangi Treaty Grounds — Attraction in Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community

I really enjoyed my time at the treaty grounds learning in the museum, taking a guided tour and also witnessing some beautiful singing dancing and performing.

My favorite part was seeing, touching and learning about the Waka (canoe). I later learned (a video on the plane) how integral the revitalization of building/star navigation with the Waka is for Maori culture and people today.

I have to admit, I was left wanting more. I did stumble upon a really good book in the gift shop which has been answering some of my questions (Imagining Decolonization by Bianca Elkington, Moana Jackson, Rebecca Kiddle, Ocean Ripeka Mercier, Mike Ross, Jennie Smeaton, Amanda Thomas.) Thank you for carrying this book.

As a person from the United States I am most interested in how to move forward in colonized countries concerning treaties that have not been honored nor fairly implemented. I know there are no easy answers nor solutions to my questions, but I was just hoping to learn more about Maori perspectives on this healing process.

It felt as though there was an elephant in the room as I expected more focus on the impact of the Treaty on Maori communities leading up to the current day, and also how the Treaty continues to be interpreted and breaches addressed.

Perhaps I missed parts of the museum exhibit, but this was just my general impression. I was surprised that this information was not more upfront. The impact of the Treaty is so glaringly obvious as I travel around New Zealand as a tourist witnessing the inequities between Maori communities and predominantly white communities... I kept wondering to myself, what exactly happened here? And what are they doing now? I wonder the same thing nearly every day in my own country... we are perhaps quite a bit behind you in our own healing process concerning our own treaties.

I also visited Manea Footprints of Kupe in Opononi and learned more about the impact of the Treaty there. And even more importantly, how to dream a new decolonized future moving forward.

Please consider increasing Indigenous and Maori perspectives.

Perhaps I had unreasonable expectations of this experience, but I wanted to share my...

The grounds are beautiful, with small offshoot tracks through bush which lead to the top ground. Where the original Busby family home is. There are also 2 museums I think. The top museum is dedicated to the maori army battalion in WW1&2. Very interesting. At the meeting House the kapa haka group were entertaining & knowledgeable, so we learnt at the same time.

Then the tour of the grounds with a young man, made easier by having an earpiece that allowed us to hear him better. The history of the place, what happened there, history of the huge boat. Interesting & controversial.

Then in the evening we had a traditional Hangi. Again we learnt about how it was cooked. Then up the track to be shown the traditional way they greeted visitors, done in the bush. Very good. Then onto the meal. It was very nice but unfortunately they ran out of dessert, they stretched it out but a mouthful was left. It was a shame because it was delicious.

I can tell you what I didn't like. It was on the guided tour. They used CRT. It was very clear that the white people are to blame for everything bad that has happened to them. I get the wrongs that were done. 1 mistake was made when the treaty was signed. I get you want the treaty to be honoured & there's 1 item left to be agreed on. The majority of the tour group were white. Critical Race Theory is not the way to go. He mentioned our ancestors had done all bad stuff to them. No, most tourists haven't ever had ancestors step onto NZ ground & yet we are to be ashamed & shamed. He said that he/they hadn't got citizenship until 1997 I think & yet they are supposed to be indigenous to NZ.

All in all I enjoyed the majority of my visit but because I was blamed for what happened to them over 150 years ago & seeing the beauty of the grounds is enough for me & that's why I'll never...

So for $50 your ticket includes a guided tour and a cultural performance, which on the off season is only three times a day. Seems like the guided tour on off season leaves every hour. The grounds are absolutely stunning and the performers that run the cultural performance are wonderful and you can truly tell they’re having an amazing time. The guided tour explains how New Zealand became sovereign, and what that meant for the Maori people, as well as the longest kayak in the world, and the Te Whare Runanga. I think our guide was having a bit of an off day (happens to us all), but the grounds themselves are truly stunning. The Bunsby house is also lovely. The war museum just opened and is, unfortunately, a work in progress. There are a lot of words in Maori that they don’t explain, or they mention a battle but don’t explain what happened, when it took place or the cultural significance. I think they need a suggestion box. Every person in the museum couldn’t figure out if they were reading it correctly or not (it starts with World War I Maori warriors, drops to the 1830s-1860s and then hikes back up to Vietnam), so we all thought we were going backwards. The cultural significance of this place is not to be missed, especially if you can manage it on a sunny day. I would...