page_title: Kerikeri
section_title: Stone Store
hierarchical_section_title: Kerikeri / Historic sites / Stone Store
caption_attribution_description: On 9 May 1832 the foundation stone of New Zealand’s oldest stone building, the Kerikeri Stone Store, was laid. Modelled on the missionary Samuel Marsden’s establishment at Parramatta, Sydney and built from sandstone, local volcanic rocks and burnt shell mortar, it was completed in 1836 and became the storehouse of the Church Missionary Society mission station. The station itself was founded in 1819 with the permission of a number of powerful rangatira of the day, including Hongi Hika and Rewa. Since then it has been used as a trading post, a library, a military barracks during the Northern War, a kauri gum store, a temporary boxing rink, a boys’ school, and a polling booth. Today the General Store offers an amazing range of authentic trade goods similar those first traded in the early 19th century. This photograph, taken by W. Neill in January 1970, comes from the collection of National Publicity Studios. It shows the Stone Store, the mission gardens behind it (which includes one of New Zealand’s oldest fruit trees, a pear tree planted in October 1819), and the small waterfall nearby. Archives Reference: AAQT 6539 Box 102/ A92907 archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=24767943 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material from Archives New Zealand More information can be found at www.kerikeri.co.nz/History_Archives.cfm
context_page_description: Kerikeri, the largest town in Northland, New Zealand, is a tourist destination 240 kilometres north of Auckland and 80 kilometres north of the northern region's largest city, Whangarei. It is sometimes called the Cradle of the Nation, as it was the site of the first permanent mission station in the country, and it has some of the most historic buildings in the country.
  A rapidly expanding centre of subtropical and allied horticulture, Kerikeri is in the Far North District of the North Island and lies at the western extremity of the Kerikeri Inlet, a northwestern arm of the Bay of Islands, where fresh water of the Kerikeri River enters the salty Pacific Ocean. A fast-growing community, the 2001 New Zealand census recorded a population of 4,878 which was an increase of 16.3 percent over the 1996 figure. The 2006 census tally of 5,859 was a further population growth of 20 percent, and the 2013 New Zealand census showed an increase by a further 11 percent to 6,504.
  The village was established by New Zealand's pioneering missionaries, who called it Gloucester Town, but the name did not endure.
context_section_description: The Stone Store, a former storehouse, is the oldest stone building in New Zealand, construction having begun on 19 April 1832. The keystone above the door bearing the date 1833 is thought to have been carved by the stonemason William Parrott who cut the Sydney sandstone in situ, but construction of the building was not actually completed until mid-1836.
  Stone was used because the missionaries needed a vermin-free, fireproof area for their supplies and provisions, and for improved security from inquisitive Māori. There was a plan to build a mill where the bridge exists now, and to protect the flour produced from locally grown wheat in the store. But the mill was never built, and the millstones brought out from England went inland to Waimate North instead.
  Curiously enough, when work started on the building, Māori were already moving out of the district, and when it was finally completed there were very few Māori remaining at Kerikeri. Furthermore, there were rumblings within the missionary community that Kerikeri was becoming the backwater of missionary activity, eliminating the need to store goods and provisions there. It was considered a folly at the time, but one that blesses Kerikeri today.
  Over the years, the Stone Store suffered the cumulative effects of adjacent traffic movements and the ravages of normal wear and tear. Costly remedial work was required and in the 21st century a bypass was constructed and opened on 23 June 2008, to divert traffic and protect the building for posterity. The old stone store bridge was completely removed in the second half of 2008. The reasons for removal of the original bridge are controversial, and there was a groundswell of protest from a number of local residents. The bridge was removed regardless and the debate over whether this was the correct course of action has yet to be resolved in the minds of many residents. The building has been restored to its original state, but does not include the tower on the roof containing the clock removed from the chapel further up the hill, which was removed as a safety measure a long time ago.
caption: Kerikeri Stone Store, 1970
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