Puhoi Attractions
An hour drive north of Auckland, off Highway 1 to the west, is the little township of Puhoi, founded in the 1860s by immigrants from Bohemia.
Martin Kippner, a sea captain from Bohemia who had visited New Zealand, gave such a good account of the country that a party of villagers from Staab, 100km southwest of Prague, were encouraged to make the long and trying voyage. They settled in a forested area northwest of the Hauraki Gulf, where they were allotted plots of land and set about clearing the forest for agriculture. In those days the Puhoi River was their only link with the outside world.
Martin Kippner, a sea captain from Bohemia who had visited New Zealand, gave such a good account of the country that a party of villagers from Staab, 100km southwest of Prague, were encouraged to make the long and trying voyage. They settled in a forested area northwest of the Hauraki Gulf, where they were allotted plots of land and set about clearing the forest for agriculture. In those days the Puhoi River was their only link with the outside world.
Church
Puhoi is a popular destination for excursions from Auckland. At the entrance to the village is the only wayside cross in New Zealand. The Church of St Peter and St Paul (1881) has an altarpiece (1885) reminiscent of others in the Bohemia. In the nearby churchyard are the graves of Bohemian settlers.
Puhoi Hotel (Tavern, German Hotel)
The Puhoi Hotel - previously called the German Hotel - has been in business since 1879. Photographs on the walls recall earlier days.
