Waitangi Treaty Grounds

Inside the Waitangi Meeting House

At this historic site 43 Maori chiefs signed a treaty with the British Crown in 1840. It was New Zealand's founding document but the translation of the words didn't make clear the difference between 'governance' which the Maori thought they were agreeing to and 'sovereignty' which the British were seeking. Years of mistrust, conflict and outright war followed.

Treaty House

The treaty was signed on the lawns of the home of James Busby, a respected British resident on the shores of the Bay of Islands. After years of neglect, Treaty House has been lovingly restored as a memorial and museum.

carving detail

On the hundredth anniversary of the treaty, a traditional Maori meeting house was built beside the original home with beautiful carvings representing the traditions of all Maori tribes.

The meeting house is open to the public and has the feeling of a sacred space. It is also used for a twice-daily performance of traditional Maori dance.

Maori dancers

Maori arrived in Aotearoa (their name for New Zealand) 1200 years ago from Eastern Polynesia. Today they make up about 10% of New Zealand's population and their traditions are integral to New Zealand's culture and identity.

even the tourists are encouraged to get in on the act!

Tiritiri Matangi

We had a great day at Tiritiri Matangi Scientific Reserve, an island bird sanctuary not far from Auckland. We booked a ferry and a volunteer guide and learned about the rare birds of New Zealand.

The Kokako is one of New Zealand's ancient wattlebirds. It doesn't fly very well, preferring to walk along branches and glide between trees.

Kokakos live for 20 years or more and bond for life. For a while most were pairs of males as the females had been killed while nesting by imported rats and possums!

The Saddleback is another endangered wattlebird that thrives when there are no predators around.

The saddleback is a nectar feeder and the orange colour on his forehead is from the pollen of the flax flowers that he's feeding on.

Endemic New Zealand birds never had mammals to contend with during their eons of evolution, so they don't show much fear of a photographer approaching for a closer shot!

The stitchbird has been extinct on New Zealand's main islands since 1885. But with constant monitoring and research the stitchbird has done so well on Tiritiri Matangi that they are now being exported to other reserves in hopes of establishing new populations.

The males are very territorial and aggressive: a researcher looked into this and discovered that his testicles were bigger than his brains!

New Zealand

A green land soaked with sun and rain

 After our first four days in New Zealand I have to say that everything I've heard about this place is true! Beautiful scenery. Very friendly people. Lovely climate. Fascinating avifauna (more about that later).

New Zealand is the land of ferns. The silver fern is the country's national symbol and is on three of the five finalists for the country's new flag design. They can grow to be as big as trees.

I wondered why it was called the "silver" fern until I turned a frond over.

The Auckland skyline

For a small country of only 4.5 million people, isolated by vast oceans, New Zealand seems to be doing rather well. Auckland, the largest city with 1.4 million people, is a bustling multicultural place. Our time spent in the cafes, on the buses and wandering through the parks helped us understand why the locals spoke so highly of this very "livable" city.

Wedding Bells

I was a very proud papa yesterday when my eldest son Daniel married Chelsey Burke, the love of his life. With a small gathering of family and friends around them, and his Aunt Jan officiating, they tied the knot at the Old Mill in Toronto.

A beautiful bride for a handsome groom!
















A creative cake by Maid of Honour, Vanessa, with a Lego couple by Master Builder, Daniel!

Proud father and mother of the groom with his bride

A bride's bouquet up for grabs! Any takers?

Thanksgiving in Alma NB

Family & Friends sit down for Thanksgiving dinner

What a blessing it is to have family to visit in rustic regions like Alma New Brunswick! My son Trevor and I spent the last few days with my sister Karen Casey and her extended family at their hotel on the Fundy Coast. It was a truly delightful time of good hiking, fine foods and great company!

The coastline around Alma NB

Fall colours were everywhere you turned

My fellow nature explorers: Trevor with his cousin Alexandra

We went on a photo safari to nearby Hopewell Rocks

This river near Cape Enrage was flowing upstream as the tide came in!

Dickson Falls in Fundy National Park

Turkey vultures hanging out at a local cemetery

Turkey Vultures close up

Fishing boats by the Salmon River in Alma NB

Colonoscopy

I had a colonoscopy this week and asked Dr. Arya (an excellent physician) not to sedate me. I wanted see what he saw on the large monitor as he explored my large colon looking for and removing polyps (small wart-like growths).

It was truly fascinating! I saw and learned a lot. The colon's tissue is very similar to the inside of your cheek. Blood vessels run very close to the surface and there are many muscular ridges visible. Dr. Arya pointed out the opening to the appendix and another from the small intestine. He took his time to look for polyps and removed six small ones.

If you haven't had a a colonoscopy recently, ask your doctor if you're due for an inspection. And if you're not the nervous type, I highly recommend taking the journey through your "inner passage" while awake. 

Fort Ross Reunion

I am part of a family that traces it roots back six generations to a pioneering couple  - Wilhelm & Josephine Benitz - who settled at Fort Ross on California's Sonoma coast in the 1840s. This was a time when San Francisco had a population of only 200 people. Today their homestead is the oldest standing wooden building  - indeed, one of the oldest family homes - in western North America!

Fort Ross, the most southern Russian settlement in America

exploring the fort's warehouse

In July we gathered again at Fort Ross, formerly a Russian settlement and now a California State Park, for four days of family celebration.

Cousins from all over the world came to honour the ancestors, explore the old fort, and party hearty!

Conga-on, Family!

the Russian bell

preparing the canon for firing

We fired the fort's cannon.

We rang the old Russian bell.

We worked as volunteers cleaning the buildings and building a new fence.

We hiked, canoed, toured wineries and finally said long good-byes until our next reunion in five years time.

pulling nails out of old boards

yes, we do windows!

the clean up crew ready for work

sharing Yerba Mate

One of the most memorable moments was meeting the descendants of the Kashia-Pomo tribe who lived and worked here along side our family and for whom this land is sacred.

Seated together we exchanged gifts; acknowledged the good things that happened between us; forgave each other for the wrongs committed; and reconciled our differences in hopes of working together again for the betterment of all.

The ceremony ended with the passing of Yerba Mate, a herbal drink from South America.

Angela & James present a painting of the land before immigration to Rino and Martina (painting by Angela Prior)

California poppies grow around the fort

Fort Ross as seen from the Russian cemetary

the old Russian chapel within the walls of the fort

visiting the last apple tree in the old family orchard

So if you're ever travelling up the Sonoma coast along Highway 1, do stop in at Fort Ross and have a look around. You won't be disappointed. Tell them Simon sent you!

Coast Redwoods

To walk among these ancient trees and camp beside their enormous trunks was an awe-inspiring experience. Together with my son Daniel, his girlfriend Chelsey, and her father Karl, I spent three days last week among the redwoods of northern California, the tallest trees in the world.

photo by Chelsey Burke

Wrapping my arms round a 50 foot tree trunk was a small step first to learning about these forest giants:

• they can live for more than 2,200 years
• they appeared on Earth over 240 million years ago
• they once covered much of the northern hemisphere
• today they grow only along the coast from Southern Oregon to Big Sur 
• their roots may only be 12 feet deep but their tops reach over 360 feet
• Redwoods capture more CO2 than any other tree

Read more about Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) here.

treetops reach into the clouds to gather moisture

Monkeyflower grows in a sunny spot

a male dark-eyed junco on the forest floor

ferns grow all year round in the redwood forest

Daniel perched in an upturned root

a giant in Humbolt-Redwood State Park

poison oak: leaves of three, let it be