Christchurch

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We spent the day visiting the Cathedral and the Museum.
Christchurch was named by its founding fathers, after Christchurch in Oxford, from where they came. It’s an easy city to visit, very English in its architecture and style but using local stone materials. We went on tour of the Cathedral, climbing the narrow staircase to the bell ringing tower and turret. Very impressive.

The history of the Maoris’ makes mention of their wars over territorial rights and cannibalism. I think there position pre colonization may also have been effected by other important factors, primarily arising from the depletion of their food supply. History confirms they hunted the Moa to extinction through burning of their forest inhabitant. Populations would have relied upon that source of food and of the forest bird life. Extinction would have had a devastating effect and I think the population would not have been sustainable. It’s likely I think the subsequent wars and cannibalization were driven by an ultimate fight for survival. Their history is an oral one, yet there seems no oral history of warfare when the Moa was hunted.
It’s not surprising various tribes formed allegiances with the British in the Mauri Wars, fighting against other tribes. Theses disputers were no doubt due to other factors as well, but I believe the first wars are more likely you have arose as consequence of the reduction in their sustainability, brought about by the depletion of their primary food source.