russell is a cute little wharf town a ferry ride across from the waitangi treaty grounds. i swear this town felt straight out of a nicholas sparks movie. it was so quaint and perfect. from eating oysters on the dock while watching a wedding procession to wandering the cute streets, it was such a sweet day spent with some of my favorite people. and if i ever come back to new zealand, russell will be the first place i want to go.
while we were in waitangi, we went to a ceremonial welcoming at the marae which is a maori meeting house. before i went, i really didn’t know much about the maori culture besides what i’ve seen around rotorua, which has a large concentration of natives. it was interesting to say the least and full of some really fun memories. like zach getting chosen to be our group’s chief (and giving a hilarious speech) or singing and clapping along to some maori songs. some of their traditions are very unusual but i’m glad i finally got to learn about and have a better understanding of this very different culture.
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.
our church has a night service on the beach every sunday that we help out with. before the service this week, we took a stroll on the beach to collect shells and enjoy the setting sun play against the waves. seeing the beach at golden hour is so magical.
we frolocked in the sand, took lots of silly pictures and read books for class in the shade
i love these girls so much and i’m so blessed to have them in my life
