New Zealand is currently working on a new Tentative List; candidate sites can be submitted until January 2026. So its current Tentative List has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Still, I find it likely that there will be a candidate to represent the Bay of Islands (located at the northeast end of the North Island). This area holds the current TWHS of Kerikeri Basin and the TWHS of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Additionally, the Bay Island town of Russell has also publicly advertised its candidacy. So they might show up, either individually or as a serial site or a cultural landscape. They all relate to the same part of New Zealand history: the first decades of coexistence between the British and the Maori in the first half of the 19th century.

I visited these three sites on one day, basing myself in the town of Kerikeri.

Kerikeri Basin

Already on the drive up there from Auckland, I found that this region feels like the English countryside: green rolling hills, narrow winding roads, some livestock, and rain is never far away. Both the Maori and the British found the region’s fertile grounds and easy access by boat a reason to settle. At Kerikeri, the Maori first lived in a fortification up the hill called Kororipo pa. The British established a mission post here in the same bay, of which the Mission House (1822 - New Zealand's oldest surviving building) and Stone Store (1836) remain. It all lies within a riverside garden setting, complete with ponds with ducks. It is picturesque, but the interpretation lacks depth. I walked between the components, but after 45 minutes had seen all.

Russell

The town of Russell lies across the Bay from Paihia, about a 25-minute drive from Kerikeri. Russell was the first permanent European settlement in New Zealand and it made its money from the whaling trade. It was also known as "the hellhole of the Pacific", with many single men around, drinking and having relationships with Maori women. Nowadays, it is a chic retreat for British and New Zealand pensioners. The street along the Bay is the most interesting, with elegant wooden houses. A future nomination may also include the nearby town of Ōkiato, the nation's first capital.

You get there via a small ferry from Paihia Wharf (18 NZD return, every 20 minutes, pay at the tourist info at the wharf). I spent about an hour there, including visiting the local museum and having a drink at the Coffee Shop in the French Pompallier Mission.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

Only a few kilometres from Paihia lie the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, by far the most popular destination for tourists and school groups in this area. Beforehand, I was most doubtful about this one, since I wondered whether there is actually anything to see or if it was more of a place of memory. Also, the ridiculous foreigner pricing at 74 NZD (37 EUR) put me off. But in the end, I spent almost 3 hours there! The grounds are vast and I made the most of my expensive ticket by joining both the guided tour and the cultural show. There's also a garden with trees and plants from New Zealand.

In 2016, a modern museum dedicated to New Zealand's history opened on the grounds. So, yes, they go beyond the Waitangi Treaty texts and focus on the British and Maori who shaped the country. I wouldn’t say it is all great, but for an outsider who knows nothing about Maori culture, there were some interesting elements in the museum, on the tour and at the cultural show. And I was lucky to see the large Ceremonial War Canoe Ngatoki Matawhaorua (see large picture in the banner above) take off for a practice session.

Which sites would you like to see on New Zealand's New Tentative List?