Leaving National Park, I overnighted in Auckland before heading north on a narrow peninsula to Paihia and the Bay of Islands. This was meant to be a "beach escape"; I was hoping for some warmer weather and a bit of a rest after the Tongariro Crossing and before heading back to late fall in the States. I also very much looked forward to visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, to learn more about Te Teriti, how it set the parameters for a shared country among the Maori and England and its influence on New Zealand's integrated culture.

Departing Auckland at dawn o'clock, I was blessed with a tour guide on most of the circuitous, hilly bus ride to Paihia. The woman sitting next to me on the bus was a Whangarei native, a resident of Auckland for some years, and a frequent visitor to her daughters' farm outside of Whangarei. I learned much about her and her family's history, the land, and each of the various towns we passed through. She was a delight.

Highway 1 is the only major road connecting peninsula towns to Auckland, and it brings travelers into Paihia at the foot of its charming waterfront and pier, with a collection of restaurant/bars and tour boats available for entertainment. The retail street extends perpendicularly to the water for about three blocks, and includes the requisite ice cream shop, historic library, and tourist trinkets. Two small groceries offer a very limited selection of foods at expensive prices, and things like bread were selling out early in the day. My AirBNB was a little prefab cabin a short walk from the far end of the shops, a self-contained studio of everything needed.

Paihia and nearby towns are clearly second-home and weekend destinations for Aucklanders. For tourists, the Bay of Islands can be a jumping off place to the 90-mile Beach leading to remote Cape Reinga, the far-northern point of the North Island at which the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean come together, a popular long-day trip that I left for my next visit to NZ. My focus was the Bay of Islands' reputation as an international sailing paradise, and I'd booked my playdate in the form of a catamaran daysail for my third and last full day in town. My first day, I set off to walk a little over a mile from Paihia to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, to immerse myself in history.

A visit to the Treaty Grounds includes a walk through a museum of artifacts and compelling stories leading up the treaty's signing in 1840, then a walk up a hill to the high open meadow overlooking the water, the site of the signing. I could envision many tents scattered across the wide open field, belonging to the hundreds of Maori leaders who came to sign the treaty, as well as those of British leaders and subjects, and the central figure of missionary Henry Williams, who translated the original English version of the treaty to Maori. Henry remains a central figure until today in part because it is officially recognized that the English treaty and the Maori treaty say slightly different things. (Here's a summary of the story.) This was the subject of several late-20th-Century court cases that established the "principles" of Te Teriti to be addressed in all actions. During my stay in New Zealand, I'd heard those principles quoted many times by many citizens, and it is clear that they had been educated in their terms and applications, the same way I’d quoted chapter and verse of the New Hampshire law when I'd served on a municipal Planning Board.

I am fascinated by the differing evolution of the indigenous/colonizer relationship in New Zealand, versus the one here in the States. Granted, the early history of European settlement in NZ was harsh to Maori at the same time the US was wiping out our indigenous nations, and the better aspects of NZ's nature have evolved only in recent decades and through the courts. Te Teriti remains as the organizing document for the relationship. It seems a fairly positive and respectful relationship now, while it is my

There may be several reasons for the different evolutions. Maori citizens comprise 17.4% of NZ, while the US population includes a 2.6% share of Native Americans; it may be easier to mistreat a smaller minority. There were fewer settlers in NZ to populate areas and force out Maori, fewer farmers and less density of development and industrialization than the capitalist heaven that is the US. The capitalism of the US may have also licensed greater abandonment of morals and institutional larceny in pursuit of the almighty dollar, more so than the tenets of Kiwi/Crown culture. Perhaps the fact that Te Teriti was signed by hundreds of tribal leaders, rather than a different treaty or series of them for each US tribe, allowed for the strength of a group action to enforce it.

In any event, I'd like to see the Te Teriti model get some publicity here in the States, to launch a discussion and see where it goes.

Meanwhile, with an outdoor cafe full of tasty goodies at one side of the meadow, the Treaty House and its relics at the head of the meadow, the Museum of the Price of Citizenship (a compelling name) honoring the Maori citizens who fought in foreign wars, and a Maori meeting house complete with a cultural performance, there is plenty to explore at Waitangi. Plan for a half-day or more at the Treaty Grounds.

The next day was cool and rainy, so I was ecstatic to wake up to sunshine on my third day just in time for my daysail. In the course of six hours Barefoot Sailing took seven of us to an uninhabited Motorua Island, gave us a couple of hours to explore the two beaches and picnic, then returned us to Paihia in time for happy hour.

To me, there are few better feelings than a stiff breeze pushing a sail and a boat over the waves. Our captain was well-versed in the stories and natural history of the area. It was still not quite warm enough to swim, sadly - in the upper 60s F. Aussies and Kiwis will get into the water when the air temps are in the high 50s F without blinking; I cannot claim to be at that high level of evolution. The water is warmer than in New England, but not warm.

The next day I set off to return to Auckland. My intentions were shopping and packing. I bought a little duffle for my haul, and found some lovely handmade things at the Saturday Britomart market, which was about 10 times larger than my first visit six weeks prior (perhaps because it had turned into spring). I also engaged in several cultural experiences with my generous AirBNB host, including:

• A car tour of the Auckland Harbor communities east of the city core;

• A night watching Australian Supercar racing, with a few Kiwi drivers to fuel the regional competition, and which I have to say is super-addictive; and,

• Watching the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup Final.

I love watching the haka (Maori ceremonial chant) before each All Blacks game, another example of the integration of the culture. Sadly, they lost, and then I dashed to the airport to return to the States.