The boat reaches Paihia at 4:25pm, giving us time to spend at the Waitangi National Reserve, where rehearsals are taking place ahead of tomorrow's celebration of the 1840 signing of the Treaty between Britain and forty-six Maori chiefs.

 

By the Treaty, the Maoris ceded their governorship to Queen Victoria and she in return guaranteed them the possession of their lands, forests, fisheries, and other valuable property they possessed.

 

The Maoris are rehearsing with a 35-metre  long war canoe that is capable of carrying 80 warriors - the canoe is launched each year as part of the celebration ceremony.

 

The nearby Georgian-Colonial Treaty House is furnished much as it was at the time it was built in 1833 - it is one of New Zealand's oldest surviving buildings

The house is flanked by colourful gardens and there is a sundial commemorating the visit of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1953

Relaxing at the Cook's Lookout Motel

Returning to Paihia, we walk along the front before having large helpings of fish and chips

at The Tides restaurant. We find a branch of Woolworths to visit before we return to our hotel

(11) Thursday, February 6th 

The coach for our trip to Ninety-Mile Beach and Cape Reinga picks us up at our motel at 7:35am and firstly takes us to the nearby and impressive Haruru Falls where the Waitangi River drops over a basalt lava flow. Our chatty and informative driver then takes us northwards. After a stop for coffee, we reach Ninety-Mile Beach just before 10am, driving onto the beach at Waipapakauri Ramp

The coach (which has been built specifically for the purpose) is then driven along the beautifully smooth beach at up to 110-kilometres per hour. With a wonderful sky, a wide golden beach, and a fast coach at the edge of the ocean, it is an exhilarating experience.

After half-an-hour's driving, we stop for a photo opportunity - a very pleasant break by the ocean with the benefit of the slight but warm breeze. There is a lot of surf on the ocean, but the offshore breeze is making it light by its apparently normal heavy standards. There are lots of gulls, oyster catchers, and other birds, and on the way we have seen fishermen using a kite system

Continuing north, we exit Ninety-Mile Beach (which is actually 64-miles long) by fording the Te Paki Stream. Here,

we make a stop besides some sand dunes to provide the passengers the opportunity to slide down the dunes on boards.

Our next stop is at Tapotupoto Bay for an alfresco barbeque before we continue to Cape Reinga