On our way down the east coast of the Northland, we stopped near the little town of Kerikeri, in the Bay of Islands, to go on a hike. We started at Rainbow Falls, a neat waterfall which true to its name, made a rainbow in its mist. The falls had quite an impressive drop into a large pool, with a cavern behind the falls.
After using the shoe cleaning station at the entrance, we followed a pretty trail along the river as it went downstream. We saw more (younger) Kauri trees there, birds and more rapids and waterfalls. After about an hour or so of walking, we came to Kororipo Heritage Park. This picturesque park had a huge tree that we climbed up into to have our picnic lunch.
Unbeknownst to us, we had come across a pretty historic place. Across a little protected bay was the oldest store and oldest house in New Zealand! The Stone Store was built in 1832, replacing a wooden building that was built in 1819 by missionaries. It has been open for business since 1835. Next to it was the historic Kemp House, built in 1822, surrounded by a traditional European garden. There was also a cute historic church on the hill above. They were situated on a very pretty basin that connected to the sea through a long inlet. It was a very protected spot to build a missionary settlement and Kerikeri Mission Station is one of the first places in New Zealand where Māori invited visitors to live amongst them.
The Bay of Islands was one of the first places to be settled by Māori in around 1300. Several hundred years prior to the missionary settlement, the Māori had built a protected village there. We visited the Te Ahurea Living Village and Cultural Experience, a recreation of it. The Māori were fierce warriors and used this area as a launching base for wars with competing tribes. Their little huts were elevated off the ground, as were tall platforms to store food. Māori villages traditionally had a central covered platform where community functions were held. The Māori culture is very strong in the northern parts of New Zealand, and many towns have Māori community centers (called Marae) that include these traditional buildings, as well as more modern facilities such as kitchens and recreation rooms.
After touring the village and park area, we hiked back to Rainbow falls. Originally we thought we might take a dip in the pool below the falls, but it was getting late by the time we got back. Since we still had some errands to run, we started driving towards our next campground in Paihia on the Bay of Islands, where we arrived at sunset.
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