Hobson's Beach is located in the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. You will need to pay the admission fee to enter the grounds, but it is well worth it. You can you use the pass over two days. Thank you to the Education Officers at the Treaty Grounds for helping me maintain this cache. One was there on placement.
Hobson's Beach was the landing site for William Hobson, who was responsible for negotiations with Maori. Today, it is the launching point for the Maori's ceremonial war canoe - Ngātokimatawhaorua.
The interpretive sign reads:
Hobson's Beach
Captain William Hobson landed here on
5 & 6 February 1840 and walked up to
the Treaty Grounds to negotiate the
Treaty of Waitangi with the Maori Chiefs.
Only a few metres from the beach sits one of the largest wakas (Maori war canoes) in the world. Ngatokimatawhaorua is 35 metres long with a hull carved from two massive kauri trees. It is launched from this beach at least once a year, for Waitangi Day celebrations (February 6).