UPDATED 4:31pm: The sun has finally put in an appearance in the Bay of Islands where crowds are gathering to mark the 200 years since the first European settlement.
A powhiri is marking the start of today's celebrations, as the Governor-General formally opens Rangihoua Heritage park.
It's a celebration of the 200-year relationship between Maori and Europeans, beginning with the first settlement in Rangihoua Bay.
Little remains of the original site today, apart from a few green terraces overlooking the bay.
Race relations are also being talked up.
MP Maggie Barry says it's a place where New Zealand as we know it began.
"A place where two peoples found a way to live closely together in peace, and that opened up the possibility of a new kind of society."
Ms Barry has opened the Rangihoua Heritage Park in her capacity as Minister of Conservation.
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