We got up early, at eight, and were all ready to go by 9.15. We drove to the car ferry and crossed the bay to Paihangi, then drove on to Waitangi and the Waitangi Treaty grounds.

We saw a video about the period leading up to the treaty, when the Maori chiefs were at war with the British and between themselves. What is now called 'romantic Russell' was then 'Kororareka' and was described by none other than Charles Dickens as 'the hellhole of the Pacific', as it was crowded by Maori and white settlers alike, up to all kinds of mischief.

The British government appointed James Busby to put an end to all this, and he settled in Waitangi in 1833. He did a lot of good as mediator between the Maori chiefs, although he was still seen as a military man, 'a man o' war without guns'. In 1835, he hosted a gathering of 35 chiefs who signed their Declaration of Independence of New Zealand. However, French warships were on their way and the Maori tribes asked the British troops for protection against the French.

The British government only wanted to protect them in case the Maori would agree to the British sovereignty over New Zealand, and after long nights of debating, the chiefs agreed and on 6 February 1840 43 of them signed the Treaty, to be folloowed by over 450 more. The document, did, however, provide the chiefs the assurance that they would keep ownership of their own lands. It declared that Maori and Paheka (ie white immigrants) would be regarded as 'one people'. British sovereignty was announced on 21 May 1840.

The site comprises the house of James Busby, the flagstaff pointing out the spot where the treaty was signed, a waka or war canoe made out of one kauri tree that is 35 m long (carrying 76 paddlers) and Te Whare Runanga, a meeting house opened for the centenary celebrations in 1940. It is a national marae (sacred Maori site) rather than the usual, tribal ones, making it unique.

It left me with the question if all that talk of equality is reflected in present day society. On the surface, it seems that New Zealand has done a much better job of integrating local people and immigrants than, say, South Africa or the US (not that that's particularly difficult). Perhaps it's because they managed to make it look like a voluntary agreement, rather than colonisation by force. The Maori heritage is evident in street names, signs etc, but all that is pretty superficial.

After visiting the Treaty grounds, we did our shopping at Paihia and left for our destination, the kauri forests on the west coast of Northland. We stopped at Kawakawa, where artist and architectural designer Friedrich Hundertwasser lived from 1975 till his death in 2000. The Austrian turned down lots of requests for buildings in New Zealand, but agreed to design the public toilets in his hometown. They must be one of the few works of art you are actually allowed to pee on, so we did.

We stopped for lunch just before the twin towns of Oponomi and Omapere, where you have great views of Hohianga Harbour entrance and the sand dunes on the opposite side. A bit later we drove through Waipoua Kauri Forest, and stopped to have a look at Tane Mahuta, a kauri tree of 51 m that's estimated to be between 1200 and 200 years old!

We came out of the forest (more winding roads) and took the exit to Trounson Kauri Road, where the next Top 10 Holiday park was located. The park is right next to a stream and the views of the valley are great.