Waitangi Day is New Zealand’s national day with celebrations Waitangi Maori
taking place all over the country.  Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs signed what is New Zealand’s founding document. The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974.  Click the links to see photos of Maori dancers: for more information on Waitangi Day: and information on Maori Culture.

OneNgatokimatawhaorua canoe of the world’s largest Māori ceremonial waka (war canoe), the Ngatokimatawhaorua, can be found at Waitangi. The enormous wooden vessel, with room for 80 paddlers and 55 passengers, is an impressive sight on the water. The 70-year-old waka has been refurbished and relaunched for the 2010 celebrations. See photos of the canoe in action

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 12:03 am and is filed under Australasia, days of significance, General, other interesting stuff . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “ Waitangi Day – New Zealand: February 6th ”

  1. Sally says:

    Be sure I´ll be back. Found this great blog by searching for maori