In a beautiful setting at the head of the narrow Kerikeri inlet, which reaches far inland from the Bay of Islands, is the little town of Kerikeri (pop. 3000), a favorite residence of artists and well-to-do retired people. Citrus fruits and various tropical fruits are grown on the fertile soil in the surrounding area.
Kemp House, also known as the Kerikeri Mission Building, dates from 1822. John Butler, for whom it was built, lived in it only for a year before being moved to other work. After some rapid changes of missionaries the house was occupied by James Kemp in 1832 and remained in his family until 1974. The ground floor is in the style of the 1840s, the upper floor in Victorian style.
Hours:
June 1 to August 31: 10:30am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-4:30pm; Closed: Thu, Fri
September 1 to May 31: 10:30am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-4:30pm; Closed: Thu, Fri
On the terraced hill above the inlet is the fortified Maori village of Kororipo Pa; it is reached by a waymarked footpath from the Stone Store. This was the base from which Hongi Hika set out on his raids, thrusting as far afield as Wellington and the East Cape. In 1814 he met the missionary Samuel Marsden in Sydney and helped him to establish mission stations at Rangihoua in 1814 and later at Kerikeri.
Adjacent to Kemp House is the oldest stone building in New Zealand, which also belonged to the Kemp family. This two-story building was erected in the 1830s to replace a wooden storehouse that was burned down. At one time it housed Bishop Selwyn's library, which the bishop felt was safer in a stone building. During the war with Hone Heke it became an ammunition store. It is now occupied by a shop and a small museum of local history, with material on the early days of the mission station.
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Rewa's Village
