Waitangi Festival

The reason we never got to see the camping site in daylight was the necessity to rise at 4 am to arrive just in time for the festival in Waitangi, set to begin at 5 am, where the Treaty of Waitangi - New Zealand‘s founding document - was first signed in 1840. There was a loooong traffic jam, as a lot of people wanted to be there in time for the first ceremony. A lot of people weren‘t. Like us. But there was still enough going on at 6.30 am.
Feb. 6 is the first day of the celebrations and also the day where entry is free, so we thought, why not have a look? My highlight of the festival was the sunrise and listening to the bagpipes when the flags were raised, and also seeing a Haka (which are performed throughout the day). The rest of the festival was way too crowded and noisy, so I‘m sorry to say I did not have a good time there in spite of the historical significance (also political…), unlike Maddie, who seemed to have a ball. I had an ice-cream. So I guess, the day wasn‘t so bad after all.Read more