Around Kerikeri

Kerikeri Basin

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Photo By:

Te Ara

If you rented an auto or RV in New Zealand and have the time to wander, spend some of that time in the Bay of Islands and dig into early New Zealand history. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the treaty between Queen Victoria’s government and some Maori tribal chiefs was signed in 1840, is a popular tourist destination. Close to Pahia, it’s easy to visit if you’re short on time. But New Zealand history began before 1840, and a good deal of it happened around the Bay of Islands not only in Waitangi and Russell, but Kerikeri just north of Pahia.

After Captain Cook named the Bay of Islands in 1769, other European ships began poking around these sub-tropical waters. They soon learned to avoid campouts and Maori dinner invitations after French Captain Marion du Fresne and two dozen of his crew camped in the Bay of Islands. They were killed and eaten.

After the American Revolution, the British needed another place to dump their criminals. They started the penal colony in Australia. Trade began between Australia and New Zealand and sealers and whalers began working along the New Zealand coast. During this time, two Maori chiefs were captured by the British and taken to Sydney– not to teach convicts how to make stew, but how to make flax into fiber. An art practiced by Maori women, the Chiefs either didn’t know how to make fiber or wouldn’t admit they knew anything about women’s work, so they were brought back to New Zealand– no doubt a little angry with the British.

Mission House

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Photo By:

imagesnzimages

In 1809, after dropping off convicts in Sydney, the Boyd stopped in New Zealand for lumber. A Maori crew member had been whipped. When they reached Whangaroa, he wanted utu– revenge. The crew and most of the passengers were killed and eaten and the ship burned. And as things often go in history, white whalers wanted revenge. They attacked the Maoris and killed more than sixty of them. And here’s where Kerikeri and its mission station– Kemp House, New Zealand’s oldest European building and nearby Stone Store come into the picture.

Hongi Hika

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Photo By:

nzhistory

Reverend Samuel Marsden, an Englishman who came to Australia to save the souls of convicts, occasionally saw Maoris on the streets of Sydney. These Maoris from Godless New Zealand also needed their souls saved. The Maoris welcomed the missionaries and Marsden sponsored an Anglican Mission in the Bay of Islands. Three missions were established– at Rangihoua, Pahia, and Kerikeri, near a terraced pa site above the Kerikeri basin. With language problems and cultural differences, soul saving did not go well. Hongi Hika, the Maori chief at the time, threatened to send them back to Australia unless the soul savers gave them muskets. In exchange for protection of Marsden’s mission stations, the missionaries came up with muskets, hatchets and axes. Hongi Hika also visited Sydney and London. In London, he received many gifts which were very much appreciated. He traded them in on his return trip to Sydney for more muskets– to use in wars against other Maori tribes. It costs time and money to wage a war against your neighbors. The Maori didn’t have time to plant food. They were too busy cultivating flax and processing it to trade for more muskets. As they weren’t vegetarians, war prisoners helped supplement the food shortage.

During these praise the Lord and pass the ammunition days of the Musket Wars, Marsden asked the British to step in and bring some law and order to the region south of Australia so they could get back to the business of soul saving. The British had its hands full keeping a penal colony running smoothly in Australia and weren’t interested in New Zealand. Finally, under pressure from the missionaries tired of paying muskets for souls, they agreed to extend Australia’s New South Wales colony to include as much of New Zealand as could be negotiated with the Maoris. In 1840, European settlers began arriving and the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.

Stone Store

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Photo By:

iainmorrison2

Originally intended as a mission storehouse, the Stone Store, designed by missionary John Hobbs, was built at the head of the Kerikeri inlet rather than on the Bay at Pahia. The oldest Pakeha stone and timber building in New Zealand, it was later used as a theological library, a Kauri gum store, a native boy’s school and a general store. Both the Mission Station (Kemp House) and the Stone Store are open to the public. Above the Keri Keri basin, you can also visit a terraced pa site where Hongi Hika’s people lived.

Stone Store

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Photo By:

Nicki-G

Kerikeri has much to offer besides a glimpse at history and year-round beautiful weather. The small town atmosphere attracts artists who sell from their studios. Clothing, pottery, food, and wood carvings are all available at a reasonable price. Pick up a brochure of the Kerikeri

Art and Craft Trail from the Visitor Centre, then either find your own way around or take a tour– they’ll even pick you up in Pahia or Waitangi if you don’t have your own auto or RV.

One of the best things about Kerikeri if you’re camping or RVing– you’re close to the Bay of Islands, but in the low rent district. There’s a DOC campsite with water and toilets at the Puketi Recreational Area. Follow the signs off SH10 near Kerikeri. And don’t worry about unfriendly Maoris in your campground, even if you’re French. Everyone in New Zealand is polite and friendly even when you’re not. If you have a campervan, try the Aroha Ecological Centre just north of Kerikeri. You can stay the night for a reasonable price, hire a boat or wander the beach, then enjoy a guided kiwi night walk– kiwi birds are nocturnal. If you’re really traveling on the cheap and have a self-contained campervan, stay free at Waipapa Landing. Two km past the Stone Store, go through the roundabout and past Riverview Rd then turn right before the one-way bridge.

Whether you’re digging into New Zealand history, shopping for quality arts and crafts at an economical price or just looking for a cheap place to spend the night while exploring the Bay of Islands, stop in for a day or two at Kerikeri.

Lyn Harris

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