Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10am-4pm, to 3pm winter)
is an excellent little art gallery.
Tree House
( 09-405 5855;
www.treehouse.co.nz
; 168 West Coast Rd; sites/dm $19/32, s
$60-70, tw & d $86; )
is the best place to stay in the Hokianga, with helpful hosts
and brightly painted little cottages set among exotic fruit and nut trees. This quiet retreat
is 2km from the ferry terminus (turn sharp left as you come off the ferry).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Horeke & Around
Tiny Horeke was NZ's second European settlement after Russell. A Wesleyan mission
operated here from 1828 to 1855, while, in 1840, 3000 Ngapuhi gathered here for what
was the single biggest signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The rustic
Horeke Tavern
(
www.horeketavern.co.nz
;
2118 Horeke Rd; 1pm-late Wed-Sun, bistro Thu-Sun 5.30-8pm)
is re-
putedly New Zealand's oldest pub - the first cold one was poured back in 1826 - and the
garden bar rocks with live music on occasional weekends during summer.
Horeke is also the western end point of the Pou Herenga Tai Twin Coast Cycle Trail
(
Click here
)
.
Sights & Activities
Mangungu Mission House
HISTORIC BUILDING
(
www.historic.org.nz
;
Motukiore Rd; adult/child $10/free; noon-4pm Sat & Sun)
Completed in
1839, this sweet wooden cottage contains relics of the missionaries who once inhabited
it, and of Horeke's shipbuilding past. In the grounds there's a large stone cross and a
simple wooden church. Mangungu is 1km down the unsealed road leading along the har-
bour from Horeke village.
Wairere Boulders Nature Park
NATURE PARK
(
www.wairereboulders.co.nz
;
McDonnell Rd; adult/child/family $15/5/35; to 5pm/7pm winter/
summer)
At Wairere, massive basalt rock formations have been eroded into odd
fluted shapes by the acidity of ancient kauri forests. Allow an hour for the main loop
track, but wear sensible shoes and expect a few dips and climbs. An additional track
leads through rainforest to a platform at the end of the boulder valley (allow 1½ hours).
The park is signposted from SH1 and Horeke; the last 3km are unsealed.
