The Kerikeri River rises in the Puketi Forest inland from Kerikeri and flows into the western extremity of the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for it ...

in northern

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. A long stream flowing into

Raglan Harbour Raglan is a small beachside town located 48 km west of Hamilton, New Zealand on State Highway 23. It is known for its surfing, and volcanic black sand beaches. History The Ngāti Māhanga iwi occupied the area around Raglan in the lat ...

in Waikato also has the same name but it is unofficial. Slightly less than long, the Northland river is hardly a significant waterway, but because it terminates at one of the most important historic sites in the country, the Kerikeri Basin, adjacent to the Stone Store. The freshwater river falls over a ford into the Kerikeri Basin, the upper extremity of Kerikeri Inlet, a northwestern arm of the Bay. The ford replaced a bridge which crossed at that point for decades, but which needed to be demolished to protect Kerikeri's historic buildings in the basin. A replacement bypass bridge was constructed several hundred metres upstream and opened in 2008. A pedestrian bridge was constructed around 2010, upstream from the ford. The area is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country, because of its history and photogenic buildings. The Stone Store was built in 1832 and is the oldest stone building extant in New Zealand. Adjacent is the

Mission House The Mission House at Kerikeri in New Zealand was completed in 1822 as part of the Kerikeri Mission Station by the Church Missionary Society, and is New Zealand's oldest surviving building. It is sometimes known as Kemp House. Samuel Marsden est ...

, previously known as "Kemp House", which was built in 1822 and is the oldest surviving wooden house in Australia and New Zealand. Behind, up a hill, is St James' Church which has been on the site since 1829 (although in its current form only since 1878). Part of the history of the river is that it was used by chief

Hongi Hika Hongi Hika ( – 6 March 1828) was a New Zealand Māori rangatira (chief) and war leader of the iwi of Ngāpuhi. He was a pivotal figure in the early years of regular European contact and settlement in New Zealand. As one of the first Māor ...

whose Kororipo Pa is about {{convert, 100, m, ft across the basin from the ford. Hongi used the river and tracks beside it to commute to Kororipo, his coastal pa, which played a significant part in the historic

Musket Wars The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori between 1807 and 1837, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an intertribal arms rac ...

. A popular walking track from the basin leads about five kilometres to the river’s spectacular Rainbow Falls. One of the first hydroelectric

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

s in New Zealand was constructed on the river, and remains of it can be seen from the track.

References

Far North District Rivers of the Northland Region Bay of Islands Rivers of New Zealand