Day for everyone, pastor reminds

Pastor Bob Lawson.

Pastor Bob Lawson has lamented a lack of participation by Northland's multicultural community in the Waitangi Day celebrations.

He is among seven pastors from Elim Church throughout the country who travelled to Northland for special services this week to mark 200 years since missionary Samuel Marsden was first invited to preach at Waitangi.

Pastor Lawson is based in Auckland and although he has visited Waitangi before, this year was the first time he was part of the national-day celebrations.

"To me, it's New Zealand Day and anybody can celebrate it. You get the protesters, but there's a lot of people who are positive about the country.

"I'd have loved to see more people from different nationalities here today (yesterday) because it's a great nation, which is why people from throughout the world come and live here and that's what we should be celebrating," he said.

Pastor Lawson said the missionaries had a lot to do with the signing of the treaty and that Hone Heke, one of the first Maori to sign it, was guided by the missionaries through the process.

"Sadly it (Waitangi Day) has become more political rather than multicultural."

Another visitor at the Te Tii grounds came all the way from England to witness the best of Maori culture and tradition after missing out during an earlier trip 13 years ago.

Liz Olding was fascinated by the waka display on Te Tii beach and vowed to be back early for the waka activities.

Her first trip to Waitangi was on her 60th birthday 13 years ago, but she was a wee bit early at Te Tii.

"I was really disappointed to miss Waitangi Day," Ms Olding said.

This time, she's staying with friends at Haruru Falls and has all the time in the world to enjoy the various events.

For German couple Charlie and Monika Munz, it's their first trip to New Zealand and they were strolling around the Te Tii grounds yesterday hoping to see a Maori cultural ceremony.

"We don't know too much about the significance of the day but luckily it's happening at the same time as we wanted to visit the Bay of Islands," he said.