The Oldest House

At Kerikeri we saw the oldest European house in New Zealand where missionaries set up their station at a point where the local Maori people had settled.  From the accounts they got on well and both groups saw benefit in their association with the other.

Edit:  Those boats are in the salty tidal part of the river,  fresh water flows under the bridge I was standing on.  That makes this a good place to settle with access to the sea for fishing &trade, and a good supply of fresh water.  Just to the left of the boats is a terraced round hill - a Maori Pa (pā) - a fortified hill fort similar to the iron age versions we have in the UK.  It would have had palisade fences in it's active years.  When the missionaries arrived the flatter land gave them somewhere to start growing their crops and the large rocks in the river provided some of the stone for their barn once they were able to harvest good quantities.  The building with the two chimneys was built for the ordained missionary and his family, the lay missionaries had much more basic accommodation which led to some tensions within their community. 

To the right is the more modern tea shop.

Our last day in New Zealand before we drive to the airport and catch our flights home.