Rawene
A colonial-era town in the middle of the harbour, with timber houses built over the water, the Clendon House, a mangrove boardwalk and a car ferry across the harbour.
Rawene is one of New Zealand's earliest European settlements. In the 19th century the kauri timber trade made it prosperous, and it still has many Victorian timber buildings raised on piles facing the water, along with galleries, cafés and an old hotel. The town's most important historic site is Clendon House, once the late-life home of James Clendon, the first American consul to New Zealand. Its 1860s timber house displays the original owner's furniture and household items. It is managed by Heritage New Zealand and has limited opening hours. On the edge of town, a boardwalk winds through mangroves. A car ferry crosses the harbour from Rawene to Kohukohu on the opposite shore in about 15 minutes. It is an important link for a self-drive circuit of the harbour and a route north to the Bay of Islands or the Far North.
Opening hours
Open all day (Cranmond House has limited hours)
Nearby sights
- Kohukohu
- Māngungu Mission House
- Wairere Boulders
- Koutu Boulders
- Opononi & Omapere
- Hokianga North Head Sand Dunes
- Arai te Uru Heritage Walk
- Tāne Mahuta