Kerikeri is full of character, charm and history. The area was home ground for the fearsome Maori chief Hongi Hika, who terrorized many tribes throughout the North Island in the early 1800's. Yet he was kind to missionaries, allowing Samuel Marsden to establish New Zealand's second mission station here. The Kerikeri Mission Station, also known as Kemp House, is New Zealand's oldest standing European building. Built to house the Reverend John Butler in 1821, this elegant wooden home has the protection of the Historic Places Trust.