History of Kerikeri
Kerikeri Park Motel is proud to be associated with the history of Kerikeri as
well as being part of Kerikeri’s future.

Maori history – Ngati-Miru were the first people who lived in the Kerikeri District. These people were attacked by the Ngapuhi (a war party) and were driven away. Ngapuhi built a fortified settlement called a Pa and there is visual evidence of this in an area called Kororipo (swirling waters)

Missionaries – These were the first European Settlers. Their names, James Kemp, Francis Hall & John Butler. These men were teachers and preachers and used the land to farm and garden.

Kemp House (Mission House) was built by the Reverend John Gare Butler in 1821-22 as a mission house. It is New Zealand’s oldest building. From 1824-31 it was occupied by missionary George Clarke and from 1832 a blacksmith & missionary James Kemp & family. The Kemp family stayed until 1974 when Ernest Kemp presented the house to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. A chapel was built in 1824 which was also used as a school. The church Missionary Society bought 3000 acres from the Maori Chief Rewa in 1831. Kerikeri now stands on these 3000 acres. You can view all these beautiful and historic building whilst taking the one hour heritage cruise on the "SS ELIZA HOBSON" on the tranquil waters of the Kerikeri Inlet.

A Stone Store was built in 1836 as a more permanent building to replace a wooden store. It provided fire proof storage and was partly used as a library by Bishop Selwyn from 1842 -44. The building was also used as an ammunition store in 1845 during the war with Hone Heke. The store is now owned by the Historic Places trust and has been fully restored to its original splendor.

Cattle Farming – from the early European settlement most of the land was used as large cattle stations, until smaller blocks were made available in 1927 by the vision of a man called George Alderton. He was able to provide the service infrastructure required to suit the needs of European settlers.

Orchards – A new era of Kerikeri began in 1927 with the Alderton Group Settlement scheme. Passion fruit & citrus orchards were created as North Auckand Development Corporation purchased almost 7000acres. This land was then divided up providing the   land as opportunity for citrus enterprises on rich soil. The majority of the local economy still comes from the orchard industry.

Shelterbelt boundaries grown to protect orchard produce by the harsh environment of the flat open Kerikeri plains are still very predominant today, both for their original use and as a backdrop to other growing local industries.

Hospitality – Is a growing industry in Kerikeri. There are now a number of motels, guest houses, cafes and restaurants in Kerikeri that accommodate national and international visitors. Kerikeri Park Motel is proud to be sincerely associated with the history of Kerikeri as well as being part of Kerikeri’s future.

Kerikeri Park Motel  is a brand new colonial style building that combines modern facilities with the history of Kerikeri. The motel’s heart and feeling is to provide a comfortable stay for guests that may wish to utilise the modern facilities inside. Outside, the colonial elegance of the façade embraces appreciation of Kerikeri’s heritage of both Colonial and Maori influence. The mix of both the traditional timber weatherboard and appealing latticework trim inspired by the Maori Koru design are but a few of the many aspects of the theme that sincerely associate the motel with the history of Kerikeri. Even the cutlery handles have the Koru design at the tips.

The motel units nestle between two retained green shelterbelts that in the past were grown to shelter orchard produce.

Kerikeri Park motel does not have unit numbers. Each motel unit is named after a person known to be part of Kerikeri’s history.