The Stone Store at

Kerikeri Kerikeri () is the largest town in Northland, New Zealand. It is a tourist destination north of Auckland and north of the northern region's largest city, Whangarei. It is sometimes called the Cradle of the Nation, as it was the site of the ...

in 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 ...

is New Zealand’s oldest surviving stone building. Part of the second

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

station in New Zealand, the store was designed by John Hobbs to replace an earlier wooden storehouse. The Stone Store was erected between 1832 and 1836 by a mason, William Parrott, a carpenter, Ben Nesbitt, and a team of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

. Construction was of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

from Australia, local volcanic rocks, and burnt shell mortar. Iron ties and window bars were forged by

James Kemp James, Jim, or Jimmy Kemp may refer to: Religion * James Kemp (bishop) (1764–1827), Episcopal bishop in America * James Kemp (missionary) (1797–1872), missionary for the Church of England * James W. Kemp James W. Kemp (born c. 1955; died S ...

, though these corroded the sandstone. Initially the building had a wooden belfry on one side. The Stone Store was intended to be the base of the Church Missionary Society’s trading post, selling produce from the farms at the te Waimate mission to ships, and European goods to Māori. Marsden planned to build a flour mill on the adjacent

Kerikeri River The Kerikeri River rises in the Puketi Forest inland from Kerikeri and flows into the western extremity of the Bay of Islands in northern New Zealand. A long stream flowing into Raglan Harbour in Waikato also has the same name but it is unoffi ...

, but this was eventually built at te Waimate instead. Stone was used to protect wheat from rats, for defence against Māori and to reduce the risk of fire. By the mid-1830s, the mission stations could not compete with the private enterprise of other European settlers, either as traders or farmers, and the store was not profitable. The building was converted into the mission library by Bishop Selwyn in the early 1840s. Following the sacking of

Kororareka Russell, known as Kororāreka in the early 19th century, was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand. It is situated in the Bay of Islands, in the far north of the North Island. History and culture Māori settle ...

in the

Flagstaff War The Flagstaff War, also known as Heke's War, Hōne Heke's Rebellion and the Northern War, was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The conflict is best remembered for the actions of H� ...

, it was briefly taken over by Governor

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, G ...

for use as a magazine and barracks. After the cessation of hostilities in 1845, the stone store was leased to become the centre of Kauri gum trading operation, and then in 1863 it was used to house a boys' school. The building was sold to the Kemp family in 1874, and was used as a general store, although it increasingly became a tourist attraction. The Stone Store was purchased from the Kemps by the

New Zealand Historic Places Trust Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

(now Heritage New Zealand) in 1975. Conservation work was done in the 1990s. The store, together with the neighbouring

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 esta ...

now form a small museum.

References

External links

*
Stone Store history
on NZHistory {{coord, -35.2179, 173.9627, region:NZ-NTL_type:landmark, display=title NZHPT Category I listings in the Northland Region Far North District Museums in the Northland Region History museums in New Zealand Bay of Islands 1830s architecture in New Zealand