Waitangi Day in New Zealand Feb. 6, 2025

Waitangi Day in New Zealand

What do you get when you bring together more than 500 Māori chiefs, representatives of the British Crown and a treaty signed in 1840? A day that New Zealanders still commemorate: Waitangi Day. On this date, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, establishing the principles for how the two cultures would coexist. Ceremonies are held at Waitangi Treaty Grounds—where the document was signed—featuring traditional Māori performances, speeches and the ever-dramatic waka (canoe) races. From festivals and concerts in cities like Auckland and Wellington to low-key community gatherings, the spirit of the day is about connection and culture.

© Francesco Vaninetti/AWL/plainpicture

palette

Today in History

When landscape met wilderness
Feb. 6, 2024Lake Tahoe
Feb. 6, 20262026 Winter Olympics

More Desktop Wallpapers:

World’s largest tulip festival
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA
The Big Apple with a foggy topping
Oct. 10, 2025Fiji Day
Aug 9, 2026International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
Dec. 27, 2024Lake Bled, Slovenia
Oct. 4, 2025Nuit Blanche Toronto
Dec. 7, 2024Lake Ontario, Toronto, during winter
Celebrating the Scottish bard
A mountaintop cultural wonder
Jul. 26, 2025International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
Oct. 3, 2023Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia
Best views tower
Jun. 6, 2024The 80th anniversary of D-Day
Sep. 18, 2024Gujō Hachiman Castle, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Apr. 2, 2026Wildflower bloom, Central Valley, California, United States
Aug. 1, 2024Floating fruit market, Kaptai Lake, Rangamati, Bangladesh
Jun 19, 2026La Rocchetta Lighthouse, Piombino, Italy
Nov. 28, 2024Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia
Sep. 9, 2023Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
Jul. 14, 2024Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante, Italy
Oct. 25, 2024Frankenstein Friday
Oct. 22, 2025Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
Mar. 2, 2024Modica, Sicily, Italy
Sep. 16, 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
Jun. 24, 2025Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah, United States
The oldest way to fly
Big Bends birthday bash
Ive got a lot of problems with you penguins!
Feb. 1, 2025Rolands Breach, Spain