Feb 6 - Waitangi Day and Superbowl

It's Waitangi Day here in NZ, a public holiday to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. To quote Wikipedia, "The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Ma-ori rights to their land and gave Ma-ori the rights of British subjects. There are differences between the Ma-ori and English language versions of the Treaty, and virtually since 1840 this has led to debate over exactly what was agreed to at Waitangi. Ma-ori have generally seen the Treaty as a sacred pact, while for many years Pa-keha- (the Ma-ori word for New Zealanders of predominantly European ancestry) ignored it. By the early twentieth century, however, some Pa-keha- were beginning to see the Treaty as their nation's founding document and a symbol of British humanitarianism." Many stores and public businesses were closed. We cruisers, however, got together to watch the Superbowl at the Opua Cruising Club. About 18 people shared a potluck, and enjoyed the game on the wide screen TV. Interestingly, we didn't get to see any of the American TV ads played during the game, as all the ads were either NZ or European!