Auckland to Taupo

The traditional Waahi Paa and the power station built later.

Brick caravan by Peter Lange Hamilton Art Gallery

Left Auckland at 7 am to avoid the hoards of cars heading out of the cities and into the country and coast to celebrate the Waitangi Holiday weekend. Maybe it wasnt as busy as usual anyway but we certainly had a pleasant drive south toward Taupo, the countryside was fresh and beautiful and not at all burnt up from the recent - and ongoing - heat. They don't have any wind farms - yet - and although there are some pylons around the land it is still largely clutter free - haven't even noticed any phone masts but I guess they must be here somewhere.

This holiday celebrates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 an agreement to a partnership of Governance between the British and Maori people. But it was the Governors insistence on flying the Union Jack without the United Tribes flag that ultimately led to the five year Heke's war. There is still a legacy from this today as on Waitangi day two Union Jack's still fly on the Harbour Bridge. The new Prime Minister John Key says he has no problem flying the Maori flag but now the Maori people must agree on whether they will fly their United Tribes or Tino Rangatiratanga flag, they didn't reach agreement in time for this year so we still drove past 2 Union flags on the bridge.

We stopped at Huntly a small township where Connie visited a Maori Paa just one day before a major tribal royal Tangi funeral gathering, and we eventually located the Paa she described now dwarfed by a massive power station. Power was another issue for Maoris as British engineers diverted water from one tribal area depleting their sacred source, directly into the tribal waters of another tribe on the Waikato river.

Further down the road we passed the Taupiri burial ground where the Latest Maori Queen was buried 2 years back . Her body was brought up the river by a double canoe and then taken up the hill for burial. But this royal burial like all others at the site must cross the tracks of the main railway line again built without respect for Maori use, directly between the road and the hill.

Stopping at Hamilton to see the Art Gallery and Museum we saw an excellent Maori exhibition about the Paokai network of gatherings in support of the Royal inheritance involving the new current King . Although royal inheritance stays within one family, the tribal elders can choose which member of the extended family will succeed. Some other exhibitions seems like a waste of a very good space - kind of small town thinking, but the best was 'Waiclay' a national ceramics exhibition. Peter Lange's brick caravan on the street was fun.

We havn't seen much of the crowds who are here in Taupo, we guess they are all at the drag races or national Reggae festival in Roturua.