{"id":9167,"date":"2024-02-07T05:20:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T16:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/?p=9167"},"modified":"2024-02-07T05:20:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T16:20:13","slug":"waitangi-day-2024-thousands-of-visitors-one-clear-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/?p=9167","title":{"rendered":"Waitangi Day 2024: Thousands of visitors, one clear message"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before the sun rose and the birds started singing this morning, thousands of people arrived for the\u00a0traditional dawn service on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Standing in the footprints of those who first signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi, they listened to sermons from church ministers and bible readings from politicians, while singing hymns.<\/p>\n

Watch a livestream of this morning’s ceremony here:<\/b><\/p>\n

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But as always, the highlight was the spectacular sunrise, which washed the grounds in golden rays.<\/p>\n

It was a moment which made standing in the longest queue in the world for coffee seem fine.<\/p>\n

The waka came back to the beach – Kaihoe paddling strongly and proud just like their t\u016bpuna – and the rowers were called ashore, then entertained the thousands of onlookers with a haka.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The sun rises over the Treaty Grounds in Waitangi on Waitangi Day 2024.\u00a0<\/span>Photo:\u00a0RNZ<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The grounds were awash with thousands of people again later in the morning, holding or wrapped in Tino Rangatiratanga and Te Whakaputanga flags for the h\u012bkoi – another tradition.<\/p>\n

About 1000 people matched onto the Treaty grounds, all echoing a call that has gone out again and again over the past few days – uphold te tiriti – Toit\u016b te Tiriti!<\/p>\n