This bright morning we took the ferry over to Waitangi Treaty Ground, the place where a key treaty between the Crown and the Maori chiefs was signed, and which is considered the foundation of modern New Zealand (though it would not have been considered so a few decades ago). It was fascinating to see the careful construction of a national narrative, NZ style, with excruciating efforts to show that both sides had a point in disputes, and that it was all a misunderstanding, really. Don’t get me wrong, it was much more humane that most nation-building projects, but constructed and artificial nonetheless. We then wandered into a Maori Cultural Show Featuring Beautiful Maidens and Maori Warriors, which was blessedly short, though it’s always a pleasure to see the high performers get.
We walked to the Farmer’s Market, bought a load of berries and met Lady Bright there. Then a return to the house where a friend of Lady Bright, a sailor and an instructor in higher education, came to visit and we had a very pleasant chat indeed. All this sociability, I had better not get used to it.