HISTORY

How our town of Kerikeri began…..

Samuel Marsden arrived in New Zealand from a New South Wales penal colony on 11 December 1814 to establish a mission station at Rangihoua. After returning to New South Wales for four years he arrived back in Rangihoua in August 1819 bringing with him new recruits for the Mission Station.

The Nga Puhi chief, Hongi Hika offered Marsden land opposite the Kororipo pa, and Church Missionary carpenters Bean and Fairburn arrived at Kerikeri to erect a blacksmith’s shop and store house (first permanent buildings in Kerikeri).

The pear tree located by the car park was planted (along with 185 fruit trees and grape vines bought by Marsden on his second voyage) in October 1819 and is believed to be the oldest fruit tree in New Zealand.

The first European families arrived in Kerikeri on 21 December 1819. Those settlers were the Rev. John Butler, family and servant; James and Charlotte Kemp (blacksmith and missionary); William and Margery Puckey and family; Sarah and William Fairburn; William and Elizabeth Bean and family.

On the foreshore, near where “The Landing” is today, was the blacksmith's shop where Charlotte and James Kemp and Francis Hall lived while the other settlers took up residence in the store house.

Kemp House (New Zealand’s oldest surviving European building) was built by Rev. John Butler in 1821-22 as a mission house. George Clarke occupied the house from 1824-31; followed by James Kemp and family from mid-1832. The mission was closed in 1848, the Kemps purchased the house and remained. Their descendants lived there until 1974 when Ernest Kemp presented the house and contents to the Historic Places Trust.

In 1829 a chapel was built. This was replaced on the same site by a new church named St James which was opened in December 1878. There are a number of memorials on the site including the Butler and Kemp tablets.

The Stone Store (the country’s oldest surviving stone building) was built in 1832-36 as a storehouse for the mission. It was taken over by the Kemp family after the mission’s closure in 1848 and leased by a series of shopkeepers. In 1976 the Kemp family sold the store to Historic Places Trust. 

 “The Landing” (formerly Butlers Restaurant) operates from this building which until recently was still owned by the Kemp family. We are grateful to the Kemp family to enable us all to enjoy the wonders of this grand building and setting together with the history of its surroundings.

From humble beginnings...