With my summer holiday quickly coming to an end, I went on a little trip northwards to Paihia in the Bay of Islands. After taking the morning to edit photos from 2016 and start the new year with a clean slate, I hopped on a bus for a four hour ride through Northlands.
On the bus, I passed:
- An ad in Warkworth with a photo of wild kids and arguing parents that said, "Need a Vasectomy? Buy Local and Support your Community!"
- A bad car accident involving a van that rolled, with first responders just arriving.
- Sheepworld! New Zealand's sheep and wool centre!
- The WWI village exhibition near Waipu.
After eating some nicely fried snapper with chips, I went to find some groceries, but that search turned into a long walk along the beach, up to two different lookouts, and then inland and into the forest to a much higher overlook. It was so nice to be out of the city and in a place where the jungle is only a few minutes away.
Back at the hostel, my new friend Faith offered me some of her extremely sweet Australian dessert wine. I guess she wasn't a fan of it, because she left the bottle with me when she left for bed. I stayed up chatting with a Swiss guy, and then went to bed reading a trashy knockoff of the Hornblower series about the British age of sail that I found in the hostel's library.
Apparently that desert wine had an effect on me because the next morning I struggled to wake up, get up, and get out the door. I decided to just find a quiet, shady spot on the beach and read the trashy sailing novel, but once I got moving I didn't want to settle down and get stuck again. So I kept walking north along the beach, up the next beach over, and then across a one-lane bridge to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, which is one of the places I specifically came to Paihia to see.
In the early 19th century, Māori and Pākehā (literally non-ordinary people, i.e. Europeans) relations were strained by the introduction of muskets, bad behavior on the part of Pākehā, and competition among European empires for control of New Zealand. After some Māori declared independence as the United Tribes of New Zealand in 1835, a representative arrived from England in 1840 to negotiate a treaty with Māori at Waitangi. Hundreds of Māori rangatira (chiefs) agreed to cede governance of New Zealand to the English Crown (but not any rights to lands, resources, or sovereignty) in exchange for the full rights of British subjects. Waitangi is therefore the site where both of New Zealand's founding documents were created.
Today, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds are the site of an amazing museum that documents both sides of the ongoing negotiations between Māori and Pākehā. It also sports a forest reserve, the world's largest and fastest war canoe, a museum in the house where the treaty was signed, and a traditional, but totally unique, Māori meeting house. I took a guided tour of the grounds, and wound up attending a 'cultural performance' at the meeting house, which was, for some reason, an incredibly emotionally charged experience for me.
After receiving a challenge to determine our intentions, watching the dances inside the meeting house, and listening to their uplifting songs, I needed a break, and wound up walking back out to the beach and reading my trashy sailing novel in a shady spot near some tidal pools. Later in the evening, I sat out on the wharf listening to people play on a public piano in the cool and calming sea breeze. Perfect vacation zone.
My trashy age of sail novel also served another purpose: I was getting amped up for my own sailing adventure on Tuesday morning! I picked up my tickets the wharf first thing after waking up and rode a ferry across the bay to the town of Russell, where I watched the schooner R. Tucker Thompson come into the harbour under motor power. Even after it docked at the pier, I just happily stared up at it with a stupid grin on my face until they let the passengers board for a day tour of the Bay of Islands.
The Tucker was a bit of a deja vu. In many ways it was like a mini version of the wooden schooner Bill of Rights that I used to live on in Southern California. When we boarded, the crew told us we could participate as much as we wanted. I knew going into this trip that I could never get as much sailing experience as I wanted, so I wasn't too disappointed when they didn't call on me to help raise the sails. Instead, I just put on a harness and went to hang out on the bowsprit and in foremast crosstrees. When I came back down from the rigging, we were served scones with jam and cream in the shape of an anchor.
Our trip took us out to Motuarohia Island, where we anchored in the small bay with about 15 other vessels. The captain set up a rope swing off the bow, which was the perfect way to start a swim. The crew also took us ashore on a motorboat so we could snorkel in a lagoon, or go climb the top of the hill for some outstanding views. Back on board we were served grilled chicken, potato salad, and greens, with hearty bread and butter. The trip back to shore was far too quick, and I really wish the Captain hadn't turned on the engine so we could take our time getting back, but I guess he had a schedule to keep or something.
After the sailing adventure, I took a hike up the hill from Russell to visit a flagstaff that started a war when a Māori chief destroyed a British flagstaff four times to challenge the Crown, which was not respecting the terms of the treaty relationship. I got a bit confused on my way, but spent the time appreciating the birds, cicada shells, and stick bugs that I met along the way. From the top of the hill, I watched the Tucker head out on its evening sail, and then I went back down to take the ferry back to Paihia.
Wednesday was my last day off from school, and my last day in Paihia. I took full advantage of both and spent the morning reading for fun. Then in the afternoon I went out on a hike through the bush to Haruru Falls. The trail took me through some fantastic mangroves, and on the way back I spied tons of shag nests hanging up in the trees along a river. The falls themselves were okay. In the evening, I hopped on another bus that took me all the way back to the city, which suddenly felt really big once again. I've been back to work on school stuff this Thursday and Friday, gathering up information that I'll hopefully be able to use for my PhD thesis.
It was amazing to take some time off and go sailing up in Northlands. It was also really dangerous too; now I keep thinking about living on ships, and running away from school to go sailing full time. Maybe I'll just have to find a crew that I can volunteer with in my spare time.
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