i’m finally back from outreach week so prepare for lots of posts. one of our first stops when we were in whangerai was the waitangi treaty grounds. this was where the first treaty between the maori and europeans was signed in 1840. its interesting to be in a country even younger than america because america has always seemed so young to me compared to everywhere else i’ve traveled. we went to a maori ceremony in the marae (maori meeting house pronounced mor-i) on the grounds then explored houses and gardens based on those of the first settlers to new zealand. the houses were cute and reminded me of the architecture on the east coast in america. the gardens were beautiful and we had a fun time exploring and taking pics.