This is the great Maori chief, Tetaki Tairakena who has no significance in the local history and Waitangi celebrations. His attire is a mixture of modern and old and way out of touch with how it should be. The ancient and sacred korowai around him and the seashell doesn't really suit the dark glasses, Jimi Hendrix hat and colored shorts. So, he's a half modern and ancient Maori chief.
More pictures of the half ancient and modern chief with his warriors, doing the pukana!
The waka and its warriors paddle out onto the river.
The half ancient and modern chief is seated in the waka with his warriors.
A re-enactment of the battle between the Maori and the British soldiers.
This time, no one was killed, only water bombed. Of course the Maori won this time.
Waitangi day
Two recent English arrivals were overheard speaking in a pub in Waitangi in the early 1800's . They were talking about some of the problems they faced since they had arrived in NZ.
A: These damn Maoris seem to own all the land here, old boy!
B: Yes, bloody buggers. How can they own everything when we have nothing...I say, old boy, what can we do to change everything? We can't have savages telling us what to do, we're from the British commonwealth, by God!!
A: Spoken like a trooper! I have a brilliant idea to get all the land off these uneducated savages.
B: Jolly good, James! Tell me your master plan!
A: Well first, we'll write a legal document which says they no longer own any land in NZ or Aotearoa as they call it. Then we'll write in it that all the land belongs to the queen of England and that they must give it all to her. Then, we'll tell them that everyone who has British descent living in NZ may take the land off them.
B: By joves, old chum, what an absolutely brilliant idea! I'll drink to that, it'll work like a charm!
A: The great thing about it is none of the Maoris can understand English.
B: So you mean we can legally take the land off them using our law, even though, it's not the law here and they wouldn't have a leg to stand on because we are the legal law here not them?
A: Precisely, old boy! And if they don't like it, we'll just shoot them because we have the guns...the symbol of the queens authority!
B: We'll get the buggers to sign it ... and you know what? they won't know what they're signing cause it'll all be in English...ha ha ha!
A: Oh...that's so funny... they'll think their land is safe...but they'll be signing it all away to us and England the motherland. Hail, hail the queen!
B: So we come here, we don't have anything, we write a legal document, we then force our law on them and our treaty and the land is all ours...just like that!
A: I'll drink to that, old son!
