Waitangi Day in New Zealand Feb 5, 2025

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

What are these colorful insects?
Feb 5, 2024Monarch butterflies
Feb 5, 2026Salt evaporation ponds on the island of Gozo, Malta

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 2, 2024Virgin Islands National Park, Saint John, United States
Blue hues and ceramic scenes of Porto
Aug 4, 2025Great grey owls in their nest, Finland
Meet an expert on the dog days of summer
Nov 16, 2025A traboule in Lyon, France
Nature’s own canvas
Mar 29, 2025Superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California, United States
Dec 3, 2023Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Feb 28, 2024Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
Mar 8, 2024International Womens Day
Mar 24, 2024Silvereyes
Fly me to the moon
Apr 4, 2024Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
A beautiful labyrinth
The harmony between land and sun
Dec 2, 2024Moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
Mar 9, 2026Grey seal sleeping on the beach, Orkney Islands, Scotland
Apr 17, 2024Rama Navami
May 3, 2024The Sonoran Desert, Arizona, US
Republic Day
May 19, 2025Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Mar 12, 2025Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France
Dec 1, 2024Antarctica Day
Nov 4, 2024Grasmere, Lake District, Cumbria, England
Where fire and water meet
Jul 8, 2024Blueberries growing in the wild
Sep 2, 2023Allens Hummingbird
Staying in the loop
Apr 4, 2025Humayuns Tomb, Delhi
76 glorious years of independence