I had no expectations about Kerikeri but it turned out to have some lovely spots by the river that remind me a little of a tropical Helford ( a beautiful river village near Falmouth in Cornwall ). I have no idea at this point how old New Zealand is but I was surprised that these original houses weren’t a little older. I’m not really very historically aware yet but im looking forward to absorbing lots of Kiwi knowledge over the next 6 months :)
The bus from Kaitaia deposited us in KeriKeri at 9am, after stuffing our face with breakfast we made our way down to the start of the next section. We weren’t quite expecting the historically significant start that we stumbled into – Turns out Stone Store (the stone building on the left) is not only the oldest shop, but also the oldest stone building in New Zealand. And Kemp House (the wooden building on the right) is not only the oldest wooden building in New Zealand, but also the oldest building at all! Built in 1800 something or other, by English missionaries, it was certainly a fine place to restart our hike after the balls up at Mangamuka.
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