A chance to connect with friends, whanau

Visitors during the Ōtākou Marae Waitangi Day festivities take a seat on the lawn during the morning pōwhiri.

Waitangi Day was special for one Mossburn wahine this year, who was "making connections" with those taking part in Kāi Tahu celebrations yesterday.

Jenny Campbell (Kāi Tahu, Te Rau Aroha) travelled to Ōtākou Marae with her friends for the first time for the celebration.

She woke up "bright and early" at 6.30am and began driving around the region to pick up her friends ahead of the day-long celebrations at Otago Peninsula.

One of those friends, Joanne Forsyth, arrived in New Zealand less than 24 hours earlier from Canada.

The party of four, Ms Forsyth, Whaea (aunty) Campbell, David Griffin, of Invercargill, and Sue McCafferty, of Brighton, decided the best place to spend Waitangi Day was at Ōtākou Marae, taking part in the 2023 Ngāi Tahu Treaty Festival.

Spending Waitangi Day at Ōtākou Marae with friends are (from left) Jenny Campbell, of Mossburn, Sue McCafferty, of Brighton, Joanne Forsyth, of Canada, and David Griffin, of Invercargill. PHOTOS: CHRISTINE O’CONNOR

The group sat shaded under a large tree on the lawn of the marae enjoying the heat, and a bit of kai to eat.

Whaea Campbell said she was hoping to head down to the kaumātua (elderly person) tent to get to know other wāhine Māori.

"It’s great to see all the mokopuna (grandchildren), all the generations gathered here today, it’s lovely," Whaea Campbell said.

She said it was important for her to come along and support Waitangi Day as to her it was a "family day" all about experiencing coming together as one.

Sampling the hāngī (traditional dish cooked in an earth oven) during Waitangi festivities yesterday, are Jeff Young and Jojo Yin, both of Dunedin.

She said she had brought Ms Forsyth along to the event for that reason and so she could "get a bit of a taste of Kiwi culture".

"Seeing people come together, and come all this way, it’s wonderful."

What she was most excited about was the dining hall, named Hākuiao, which had been re-done since the last time she had visited the marae.

"This is my second Waitangi Day here at Ōtākou, but the first time I’ve spent with friends, and that’s because a day like this is all about making connections."