Place where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed

         In 1200 AD the Maori came onto the islands of New Zealand, and settled along the coasts of the islands, mainly the North Island.  For centuries, they were left undisturbed until the expansion of the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Captain James Cook took New Zealand for Great Britain in 1769 and the formal agreement called the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 stating that the Maori will live under British protection, and systematic immigration to New Zealand will commence.  It's first capital was Auckland.  As more British settlers arrived, violent uprisings from the Maori between 1845 and 1848 and between 1860 and 1872.  New Zealand served in both WWI and WWII along side Australia and British Forces.  In 1945, New Zealand became a charter member of the UN.  The flora and fauna of New Zealand is exquisite.  It holds 2000 indigenous plants and is abound with hundreds of exotic species of animals such as the kiwi.  Originally inhabited by the Maori, and used to be under the British Sovereignty, New Zealand is one of the most industrialized nations in the world and is also the third largest producer of wool after China and Australia. 

Destinations in New Zealand:

Auckland

Te Puna

Rotorua

Wellington

Christchurch

Methven