Kerikeri's Mission House celebrates first 180 years

By TONY GEE

New Zealand's oldest building, the Mission House in Kerikeri, is 180.

Descendants of the building's original missionary family occupants joined local iwi and other invited guests at a function on Saturday to mark the anniversary.

As part of the occasion, the kitchen fire was lit for the first time in decades.

"It's an 1830 fireplace back in a useable condition," said Historic Places Trust heritage adviser Fergus Clunie.

The wooden, two-storey building with its lean-to at the rear has survived the musket wars of the 1820s, storms and floods since it was built in 1822 for the Rev John Butler.

James and Charlotte Kemp moved into the Mission House 10 years later and family descendants were there until 1974, when Ernest Kemp gave the property to New Zealand through Historic Places Trust care and management.

"The family had done well in New Zealand and he wanted to put something back," Mr Clunie said.

There had been some remodelling and restoration of the old building but most of it remained in its original condition.

"It really is quite a remarkable building."

The Mission House and the equally historic Stone Store nearby now attract between 38,000 and 40,000 New Zealand and overseas visitors each year.

Mr Clunie said a proposed heritage road bypassing the Kerikeri Basin was vital to the survival of the Mission House.

The bypass would stop all heavy traffic through the area, eliminating damage caused by road vibration.

The traffic bridge over the Kerikeri River would be removed, reducing the threat of flood waters to the Mission House.

At present floods are caused by the build-up of storm debris caught under the bridge.

More than 200 people, including descendants of the early Butler and Kemp missionary families, were at the celebrations, held in the Mission House and the Stone Store.