Waitangi, Northland

Waitangi is the most stunning historical site in New Zealand. If visitors to New Zealand only have time to see one historic place, it should be Waitangi. The small settlement in Northland's Bay of Islands is where, in 1840, Maori chiefs signed an agreement with representatives of the British crown, ceding sovereignty of their land. The Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is New Zealand's founding document. Even though the British and other Europeans had been progressively coming earlier in the 19th century, colonization of New Zealand is widely believed to have commenced in 1840.

You can learn about Northland and New Zealand history at the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi. A full replica of the Treaty of Waitangi in both English and Te Reo Maori is on display in the Treaty House, an 1830s British-style home that was built for the official British Resident, James Busby. The ornately carved and ornamented marae (meeting house) tells the stories of numerous iwi (tribes) from all over New Zealand. In 2019, New Zealand's first National Historic Landmark, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, was designated.

Location: Northland's Bay of Islands