Kerikeri Basin Lookout, Kerikeri 0230, Northland, New Zealand
The Kerikeri Basin, in Northland, comprises land surrounding the Kerikeri River where it flows into the Kerikeri Inlet. The authentic heritage elements within this landscape are a unique cluster of Maori and Christian missionary contact period places and structures, including Kororipo pa (fortified settlement) and associated sites, the Kororipo whirlpool, the Kerikeri Mission Station (Mission House and Stone Store), and other archaeological sites within the Basin and its waterways.
The Kerikeri Basin is on the northwest margins of the Bay of Islands, the most accessible and safest anchorage in northern New Zealand for ships arriving from the wider Pacific region. There was settlement here prior to European arrival, and the basin was the coastal settlement of Hongi Hika of Nga Puhi, a pivotal figure in New Zealand history in the 1820s and 1830s.
The Basin is on a longstanding route from the outer Bay of Islands to the Taiamai Plains (southwest of Kerikeri), a densely settled area prior to the 1820s.
The Kerikeri Mission Station was founded in 1819. It is the oldest surviving European settlement in New Zealand. The Kerikeri Mission House, built in 1822, is New Zealand’s oldest surviving building. The Stone Store, built in 1836 as part of the mission settlement, is New Zealand’s oldest stone building and the oldest trading building. The two stand close together and dominate the former wharf frontage to the river. They are of contrasting form and bulk.
Epic New Zealand Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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