Rotorua NEW ZEALAND 🇳🇿 Waitangi Day Classic Boat Parade on Lake Rotoiti

Join us as we celebrate our first-ever Waitangi Day - the national day of New Zealand.

February 6th marks the anniversary of the initial signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which is considered the nation's founding document.

In February 2021, we were invited by our friends Richard and Christine, who we met through a home exchange, to participate in a traditional Waitangi weekend together.

We stayed at their beautiful lakefront home and kickstarted the weekend at the Captain's dinner on Friday night at the nearby VR Rotorua Lake Resort. Our dinner was absolutely delicious.

The next morning heralded a wonderful day with perfect weather and we got up early to prepare for the Classic Wooden Boat Parade. Waitangi Day, at this event, is celebrated in the spirit of the Victorian Era. So, to be up to the task, we had done a little bit of shopping the week prior and found some great costumes for the day.

A quick boat ride on the Jessie Rose took us first to the home of our good friends Malcolm and Jenny. We met this lovely couple almost a year ago, also through Home Exchange, and we know them now as the girls adopted Uncle and Auntie here in NZ 🙂

We quickly touched base, took some cool pics and then it was time for the parade.

All the different wooden boats congregated in the water and kept circling until it was their turn to flaunt their beauty for the spectators on the shore.

First in line were the small boats, and then it was our turn. A person ashore was commenting on the history of the boats, their names and their meanings.

When the parade was over, we headed to another part of the lake for a different kind of fun. We arrived at a beautiful beach where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and recharged our batteries before taking part in an afternoon full of different activities.

We had the most fun playing Tug of War and Candy Bobbing for Whitaker Chocolates! It was a lovely afternoon and great to connect with people who had traveled from across NZ for the event.

We ended the night back at Richard and Christine’s and has some tasty Indian food accompanied by fantastic lake views.

Ready and excited, the following morning, for the next event we headed to the lake for the Ohau Channel Drift. We each grabbed a floating device and eased our way down the channel from Lake Rotorua to Lake Rotoiti.

The weather was perfect, and there were many people enjoying the slow drift. It felt like we were floating down a Disney Lazy River surrounded by the stunning natural beauty of New Zealand.

We had such a wonderful time, and we'd like to thank everyone who made our first Waitangi weekend a memorable one, especially Richard and Christine!

Stay tuned for more fun videos from New Zealand including the many great attractions in the Rotorua region.

0:00 Celebrating Waitangi Weekend in New Zealand
1:15 Why Kiwis Celebrate Waitangi Day
1:49 Captain’s Dinner at the VR Rotorua Lake Resort
2:20 Meet Richard and Christine
2:36 All Aboard The Jesse Rose Dressed in Victorian Era Style
4:10 Classic Wooden Boat Parade
5:26 Boat Rescue on Lake Rotoiti!
6:55 Lunch on Lake Rotoiti
8:24 Candy Bobbing for Whitaker Chocolates
9:27 Tug of War
10:45 Indian Dinner & Beautiful Lake Rotoiti Views
10:53 Ohau Channel Drift Lake Rotorua to Lake Rotoiti

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