Kia Ora!
It is currently New Zealand's Winter, so it has been around 50 and 60 degrees (12-18 degrees Celcius). Which has made this amazing weather to travel in! This past weekend, my school had monday off because it was the Queen's Birthday. (For those of you that don't know, New Zealand is a still governed by Queen Elizabeth of England). My friend from Ohio Univeristy, who is also placed here, took advantage of this three day weekend and traveled to the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is a group of 144 islands that are about 3 1/2 hours North of where I live. The ride up there took us on many windy back roads, but they offered some amazing views.
Mckenna and I stayed in a hostel in a small town called Paihia (pie-he-uh). Everything in the town was within a short 5-minute walk, so it was very easy to get around. In this town, there is also a wharf where you can purchase a ticket and go to another town called Russell. While there, I learned the Russell was the first Capital of New Zealand when this country was just beginning. After exploring Russell, we went to two other towns called Kerikeri and Waitangi (why-tang-e). Kerikeri is known for their chocolates, so, of course, we had to stop and try some. We went to Makana Chocolate Boutique, where we sampled chocolates and their homemade gelato. In Waitangi, we went to the Treaty grounds where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. This Treaty was between the British Crown and the Maori chiefs of the North Island.
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| View from the Warf |
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| The Carved Meeting House. It was created by the Maori to show the partnership between the Maori and the British Crown. |
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| What is carved into the walls. |
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| Inside of the Carved Meeting House |
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| Maori War Canoes |
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| All that is left of the Treaty of Waitangi. |
Overall, this weekend was a lot of fun and it makes me more excited to spend my time traveling around New Zealand!
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