Kaikohe and Kaikohe Pioneer Village

Kaikohe on SH 12 is strategically placed in the centre of Northland.

Before the First World War it was little more than a Maori village. Development began when land was made available for returned soldiers’ resettlement. Kaikohe is the most central town in Northland and so can be regarded as the hub of the North. Whangarei is 1.25 hours’ drive from it, Kawakawa 20 minutes, Opononi 40 minutes, Dargaville 1.5 hours, Kaitaia 1.25 hours, and Kerikeri and Paihia 30 minutes. Within a 50 km radius are the Waipoua, Puketi and Omahuta kauri forests and the Whangaroa and Hokianga harbours. The town lies on the slopes of a volcanic hill and is surrounded by many former Maori pa (settlement) sites.

To the west, Kaikohe Hill rises 300 metres and affords views as far away as the sand dunes of the Hokianga and farmlands to the east and south towards Mt Hikurangi. Kaikohe’s airfield has the largest grass runway in New Zealand. Pioneer Village, Kaikohe A feature of Kaikohe is the Pioneer Village, a colourful re-creation of a 19th century Northland village.

It consists of original old buildings, many with a significant historical association, that have been assembled from around the district and restored and furnished as they were in the pioneering days. Among them are New Zealand’s oldest courthouse (1862), brought from Waimate North, an 1875 cottage with its original kauri shingles, an 1888 blacksmith’s shop, fully equipped, the 1890 Kaikohe gaol, a 1905 general store and post office, a 1919 sawmill, a fire station complete with 1936 fire engine, and a 1907 15-ton running steam traction engine. You can also ride the bush train. Click the button below to make a booking for Kaikohe Pioneer Village

Open daily except Christmas Day Ngawha Hot Springs The Ngawha Springs lie about 6 kms east of Kaikohe, supplying mineral pools of varying temperatures. They bubble from the ground into large wooden tubs and have long been said to provide relaxation and curative relief. Some of the pools’ names are enticing – Venus Bath, Jupiter Bath, Milky Way, Velvet Bath and Favourite. The springs are reputed to cure some rheumatic, lumbago, arthritic and skin conditions. The only other mud pools and hot springs with ingredients similar to those at Ngawha are in Hungary.

The Maori chief, Hone Heke, recognised the springs’ remedial qualities. He took his wounded there for treatment after the British assault on his Ohaewai fortified pa. Some branches of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation run bus trips to the pools.

Close to the springs, a geothermal power station development has been built, utilising steam wells drilled in the 1970s and ‘80s by the then Ministry of Works with the intention of exploiting the geothermal resource for electricity production. The original plans were eventually abandoned. They were resurrected in a different form and the station was commissioned in mid-1998.

Kaikohe's special brand of Motorhead culture is explored in the 2004 Documentary Kaikohe Demolition.