Horeke Historic Tavern

The charming pub here on the edge of the water is a hot contender in the endless competition for New Zealand's oldest hotel. The other contestants are the 1845 rebuild of the 1827 Duke of Marlborough in Russell, and the 1850 Moutere Inn in Tasman. Wellington's Thistle Inn also lays claim but the building is an 1866 rebuild of the 1840 original.
With it's origins in the 1820s, the Horoeke Tavern played a significant part in the political foundation of New Zealand, being the second port at which Governor Hobson called with the Treaty of Waitangi, arriving here on foot six days after the initial signing on February 6, 1840. The remainder of Northlands chiefs met him for the secondary signing at nearby Mangunu Mission Station, and the Horoeke Tavern was the venue of a the huge feast that followed.
This meeting has been described as the 'first government funded hui', setting the scene for today's sausage roll morning teas in government departments. The Postal Service also has it's origins here, with a horseback service between the Hokianga and the Bay of Islands starting three months after the Treaty signing.
Also here at Horoeke from the 1820s were shipbuilding yards and other early industries. Now, Horeke is a stop on the Pou Herenga Tai Twin Coast Cycle Trail.