TimeStandsStill

T i m e s t a n d s s t i l l

Riverhead Villa

Leaving behind a storm and busy Christmas lead-up, Jodi Bryant and friend Philippa Mentor-Blomeley took an overnight break to a magical place deep within the north where time, and the weather, stood still. Jodi Bryant writes…

Nestled near thetop of the Hokianga Harbour, within the wild north-west, liesa tiny settlement where time standsstill.

This is Horeke, population just over 100.

But itwasn’t always thisway.Asthe oldest

European settlement in the Hokianga and the second oldest European settlement in New

Zealand, itwas once abustlingtown, where the largestsigning of the treaty took place, hometo

New Zealand’s oldest tavern and where honey beeswerefirstbroughttothecountry.

Its hillside graveyard tellsa storyof time gonebywith many losing their livestothe harbour itoverlooks.

Today, the Rānui, an historic boatwith its own storyto tell, offers cruises on the harbour with its skippers’storytelling bringingpast scenestolife. And from this is where one might spot an unusual but pleasant sight tucked into a southern hillovertop the dilapidated houses dotted along the shore.

She is Riverhead Villa– a grand, poised lady whose knowledgeable Kaurifoundations with native timber trimmings have stoodthetestof 151years.

Originally built in Kaiwaka by theowner ofa Kauri Mill in 1871, shewas moved in 1979 toHoreke,retaining her apt Riverhead name, where shestill sits watching the tides of the Hokianga Harbour ebb and flow.And this is where ourrelaxing minibreak begins.

“Kia ora, nau mai, haere mai,” greets Riverhead managerTeAomārie, ushering us in and offeringa cuppa after the 1.45 hour journey from Whangārei. We are givena tour– there isa lottotakein; the wide front entrance has the dining areaand largescullery kitchen and lardertothe left, and lounge/entertainment areas to the right, with the hall wrapping aroundtothe master bedroom and ensuite. All have French doors opening onto the porch with a panoramic vistaof the Hokianga Harbour.

A delightfulstaircase curves up to thetop floor where thereare four attic-typerooms, each boasting unique themes, configurations and views, sharing two modernbathrooms and flankinga sittingroomwhere twoenticing loungers arestrategically-placedtocapture theview.

We are drawntothe porch where thegentle rocking of the swinging bench seatoutside our roomcould lull onetosleep. It is here, with soft music anda glass of bubbles,weinstantlyfeel any previousworries melt away aswegazeat the motionless harbour while soaking in the tranquilatmosphere surrounding us.

“It’s like historyhasn’t leftit– youcan just picture it andfeel it,”muses Pip, of the elegant, majestic villa.

“It’s the yintotheyang of the bustle of Paihia, interms ofa holiday,”says Riverhead Villageneral managerTamalenePainting, who is our host.

Tamaleneexplains that,havingpassed through several generations of private ownership, in2020, the homestead was purchasedbyUtakura 7 Investments Ltd on behalf of the many Kiwi shareholders of Utakura 7 Incorporation, whichTamalene chairs. Their tiestothe whenua and moana extend all theway backtoKupe, Nukutāwhiti and Ruanui,tocreateeconomic opportunities for their shareholders and localresidents. The Utakura 7 Incorporationwas setup in 1968 and owns 1643ha of land in the Utakura valleynorth ofŌkaihau, in the South Hokianga.

Over thepastyear, Riverhead Villa has been carefully andconservativelyrenovated to preserveall of the aspectsand characteristics that tell thestory of her long and interesting life, whileatthe same time, ushering her gently into the 21st century.The endresult isa pleasingcombination of old meetsnew; comfortable andfamiliar, fresh and spacious.

“And what’s really neat tosee is that the community are startingtotakeownership,”says Tamalene. It’s the type of village, sheexplains, where everyone looks outfor eachother. Across theroad is what is saidtobe New Zealand’s oldest tavern, now usedtoaccommodate tourists, with theiroverflow referred up the hill toRiverhead. Since opening its doors to the public, the villa has been bookedbygroups from allover,seeking an escape. Onerecent lot were former university friends, now with theirown families, who choosea different destinationtoholidaytogether eachyear.

Brian and Craig of Rānui on Hokianga.

Therenovations and accommodation is only step one of several that the group plantophase in, including adding chaletsand more tourism opportunities.

Speaking of, Tamalene has booked us on anevening cruise aboard the Rānui. Originally named El Alamein, the Rānuiwas purpose-built for ferryingreturned WorldWar II servicemen totheRotorua Convalescent Hospital. With the development of theTwin Coast Cycleway in Northland,a couple of locals spotted an opportunitytoprovidea link across the harbour viaa ferry service. The Rānuiwas subsequently launched into thewatersof the Hokianga Harbour in 2018.

Whilewewaitfor itsarrival,wewander around the localcemeteryand church below the legendary Māngungu Mission House on the hill. Māngunguwas established in 1828 as a Wesleyan Missionstation. The largestsigning of theTreaty of Waitangi in thecountry took place here on February 12, 1840, withover 70 chiefs adding their assent before acrowdof up to3000 people. The mission housewas restored in the 1970s on behalf of Heritage NewZealand, and openedtovisitors in 1977.

Ratherrandomly, we arejoined on our cruise bya film crewand local actress in full period costume,telling thestory of Mary Bumby, believed to be responsiblefor introducing honey beestoNew Zealand, having successfully keptthem alive duringa longvoyage.

Furtherresearch turns up that Mary was born in England in 1811 and, in 1838, her brotherReverend John Hewgill Bumby was appointed as superintendent missionary for the Māngungu Mission. Mary decidedto accompany him as his housekeeper. They travelled on thevessel the James from England via Hobart and itwas there that Mary was said toacquire twohoneybee skep hives. She and her brother arrived in the Hokianga in1839 and joined the Methodist Māngungu Mission Station where the hivesweresituated in the Mission churchyard. Mary also acted as host toGovernor Hobson, Church missionaries and Ngāpuhi chiefs whocameto Māngungutosign the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.

After her brother drowned in the Firth of Thames in 1840, she accepted the proposal of Reverend Gideon Smales, marrying in 1841. They settled ina small house in the Hokianga Wesleyan Station. She died in 1862atsea on a returnvoyage to England.

After sittingatop the Rānui in the fresh air, weclimb downstairs to chat with the affable co-owners and skippers Craig and Brian. They offera variety of cruises, including sunset and historical, where they share their knowledge about the wildlife, historyand local life around the harbour. They also offerchartered,tailored cruises andcycle transport across the harbour.

Craig’s family have beenconnected with the harbourfor around 55years,featuring on Country Calendar with their flounder fishing business.AsCraigcommented in the 2018Turn of the Tide episode: “Theworld’s going crazy and, this place,you comeback here and it never changes. It’s like atimewarp andwejust loveit.”

Craig and Brian drop usatthe wharf where our host is waiting, andwechat some more, before they departbacktoKohukohu. Westroll down thecentre of the secludedroad, followed bya friendly lone dog,pastthecommunity hall, village green,tenniscourts and smallpark, backtothe villa.

Back “home”,dinner isready. Thisreally is a home away from home. The spread on thetable in the grand diningroom is homely, healthy and delicious. Joinedbyour hosts, Tamalene andTeAomārie,wetuck into ourroast chicken with seasonalvegetables, while sipping local sparklingRosé from Sovrano Estate(former Ake Ake) inKerikeri and chatting about life, with the magical harbour and the mist-shrouded Kohukohu view before us.

Dinner isfollowed by aslice of mouthwatering lime shortcakewith cream before weretire. Aftera good night’s rest,weare greeted witha cheerful,“Ata mārie! How did you sleep?”, before indulging ina yummy continental breakfast offering fruittoastwith preserves, muesli anda variety ofcereals, fresh fruit, yogurt, juice,teaandcoffee. With full tummies,weset offfor Kaikohereadyfor our bike ride!

Top Trailcycle hire headquarters is in Kaikoheatthecentre of theTwin Coast Cycle Trail and offers adult and children’s, both trail ande-bikes, plustagalongs andtoddler seats. They also do pick-ups andbaggage transfers and have optionsfor self-guidedtours with customised itineraries.

There are four sectionstotheTwin Coast CycleTrail (which incorporates Horeke) and, today, we areriding the 14km Kaikoheto Okaihaustretch and it’s my firstexperience on ane-bike.

Atheadquarters,weare greetedby a friendly, chatty chapcalled Tipene, who gives a quick lesson on how to operatethee-bike, before advising usto, “ride like youstole it”.

We set outonthe much-talked about trail andcan see why it’s such an asset to Northland. The trail offers stunning rural scenery of native bushandrollingfarmland, anda fascinating journeythrough New Zealand’s earliest Maori and European settlements with the trail dotted with storyboards.A highlight is the 80m long curved rail tunnel, whichwe wereassured had long since hada trainpassthrough, thougha tad dark (note toselves – take your sunglasses off!). On theway back, apiglet runs out of the bush in front of us,whichI slow downtoobserve… until Pipcautionsthat the protective mother will likely be hotonits heels.Atthis point,I chuckthe bike in turbomode and test outTipene’s“ride like youstole it” philosophy.

Goingfor ablat is a greatway to blow offthe cobwebs butweslow down uponrealising this is bringing our holiday closertoan end- it is equally enjoyable riding side-by-side enjoying the scenery.

And just like that,it is timetoun-pause and returnfor school pick-ups and mum duties.

Special thanks to Riverhead Villa, Rānui on Hokianga and Top Trail. For further information, go to: www.riverheadvilla.nz, www. ranuionhokianga.co.nz, www.toptrail.co.nz & www.hokianga.com