Captain Cook first wrote about the Māori people in 1769 after discovering New Zealand. Little did he know that the Māori were a Polynesian people originating from south-east Asia that had sailed to the islands in search of a new home. We learned that the Māori didn’t settle on the South Island because conditions were more favorable for survival on the North Island.
The Māori people and culture are well established and visible on the North Island with settlements found in many villages and towns along our route. All of the following images were made on the North Island.
Māori tiki at the Tolaga Bay Wharf. 
Carved gates to the Māori Tikitiki war memorial church, Tikitiki, New Zealand. 
Interior of the Māori Tikitiki war memorial church, Tikitiki, New Zealand. 
Interior of the Māori Tikitiki war memorial church, Tikitiki, New Zealand. 
Baptismal font in the Māori Tikitiki war memorial church, Tikitiki, New Zealand. 
A Marae or Māori meeting house and community meeting grounds. 
A Māori with tattoos. Ta moko is the art of Maori tattooing. (Cultural presentation at the Auckland Museum.) 
An elaborately decorated marae in the Auckland Museum. 
Wall detail of a marae in the Auckland Museum.
Travels with RK Caton 
Thank you for sharing your travels! I am enjoying reading your blog snd love the photos, too. I got a big giggle out of the seat cushions in the church.😊
These pix are wonderful! The art is truly spectacular… We watched a 6 episode series, The Pacific: In the wake of Captain Cook with Sam Niell a year or so ago. It was very informative and showed a lot of cultural places like this…