Many of us haven’t ventured to the famous Treaty Grounds and that’s a shame because Waitangi is a special place with plenty to see, writes Lorna Thornber.
It’s known as the ‘‘birthplace of our nation’’, but more than half of us have never visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, new research shows. For younger New Zealanders, the visit rate is even lower: Just 33 per cent of under-40s who responded to a nationwide survey of 1000 Kiwi adults released by the Waitangi National Trust this month said they have visited the grounds.
Trust chief executive Greg McManus said he was disappointed to discover so few Kiwis have been to one of our most significant historic sites when ‘‘just over one in three (36 per cent) have visited Stonehenge, the Acropolis or the Colosseum – all World Heritage Sites on the other side of the planet’’.
While 77 per cent of respondents claimed to have an interest in history, 48 per cent said they found New Zealand history boring.
But McManus reckons these people don’t know what they’re missing. And he has a fair point.
Whatever your thoughts on the much-contested Treaty of Waitangi, its namesake town has a lot going for it – whether you’re a history buff or not.
Combining state-of-the-art museums with a world-famous coastline, activities such as hiking, mountainbiking, kayaking, horse trekking, golf, and some pretty awesome tours – fancy helping to paddle a 12-metre waka to a photogenic waterfall? It makes for a great base or stopover on your trip north.
Here are a few suggestions to whet your appetite.
Te Rau Aroha
The newest addition to the Treaty grounds honours Ma¯ ori who fought in conflicts here and overseas. Named after a food truck that was funded by Native Schools and crossed mountains and deserts to keep the Ma¯ ori Battalion fed during World War II, the museum brims with taonga gifted by tribes from around New Zealand and key historic items loaned by some of our biggest museums.
The third gallery, Whare Maumahara (house of memories), has brought many visitors to tears. As has the te reo inscription on the side of the food truck describing it as ‘‘a token of love from the children of the native schools of New Zealand’’.
To fully appreciate the sacrifices Ma¯ ori have made for our country for generations (to give just one example, the Ma¯ ori Battalion’s casualty rate was nearly 50 per cent higher than all other New Zealand battalions), this museum is a must-visit.