British and Irish Lions video diary: Sam Warburton and his squad receive a historic Maori reception

The Lions were treated to a memorable reception in Waitangi Treaty Province

The British and Irish Lions experienced an extraordinary reception at the Waitangi Treaty Province on day five of their tour of New Zealand, with a Maori reception greeting Sam Warburton and his squad in the picturesque location overlooking the Bay of Islands.

In what was the biggest Maori ceremony to take place on the sacred land in 30 years, dozens of tribesmen and tribeswomen awaited the arrival of the Lions squad, who travelled north to Waitangi after opening their tour in Whangarei with a 13-7 victory over the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians.

Any issues that came out of that game were quickly forgotten about – albeit temporarily – by a spectacular day in which the Lions and a large chunk of their fans were treated to a history lesson in New Zealand’s culture and tradition.

After accepting an invitation of peace from a Maori tribe leader, the Lions watched a Powhiri, a traditional Maori war dance, that lasted for around 30 minutes and was performed by 400 warriors from various tribes, before entering Te Whare Rūnanga, The Meeting House that together with The Treaty House represents both the British and Maori heritage of New Zealand for an hour-long ceremony.

During the speeches, the squad sang the four choir hymns that they have selected for the tour to represent their four individual nations in a show of respect, before leaving the ceremony and meeting fans who were waiting outside.