Tales of Terry's Travel's: Auckland to bay of islands

I think today was the last really early morning for this tour.

As we were driving up the north island today we stopped for tea at this little place just off the road. I had a nice blueberry muffin with my tea.

We are again cruising up the coast

It was not as long a day in the bus as usual. In fact we stopped for lunch in Paihia

As here in New Zealand it was Sunday, many places were not open, but this place was and we had an awesomely good lunch of ribs, loaded potato wedges, and salad

We made a quick stop at our hotel, but it was too early to check in, so we went a short way up the road to this area for an afternoon tour

They had a memorial to Queen Elizabeth II by a tree she planted in their garden

We also got to go into this meeting house

The cravings all around of the different deities were so impressive

The guide explained what the way the tongues were out each meant something different

To get the brightness in the eyes, they inlaid Paua Shells

Just outside the meeting house is this display looking out over the water

This house was called the treaty House and was built by a British man, James Busby

The original room before additions were made had period furniture

The original house was really just a couple of rooms with a detached kitchen

Here is what is sitting there now, the first building before additions were added is the rectangular three rooms at the top of the plan

They have also built a building to honor those who feel in battle at the different wars

We did not got in there, but it is a museum about the wars the

Native people lose lives while fighting

They were getting some of their canoes ready for a trip down to Auckland for some kind of ceremony

These are styled after the war canoes

The smaller one is a little less than a ton, where as the one on the left is over 1.5 tons the bigger one if forty years old and the smaller one thirty years old.

The intricacies in the carving are amazing. All the carving was done by hand without the use of power tools

This is the largest one

It is 37 meters long and weighs 3 tons. It holds one hundred and twenty men. It is the largest on record and is in the Guinness Records Book. It is made from three trees. And is around eighty years old

This is the wood that they used to make these canoes out of. It is very hard and was a native wood. This tree when it was cut down was around 800 years old.

Here is a signing telling about the trees

This sign tell about the canoes

This is the visitor center that was dedicated and opened by Prince Charles and Princess Dianne when they were first married over forty years ago

There was another a display of the people who had spent the last fifteen or so years rebuilding and refurbishing this place. Also about all the behind the scenes people that keep everything in good shape.