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Voykit pocket guide · New Zealand
Horeke
Give Horeke one night, not a day trip: the two sights are 3–4 km apart, the pub is the only food, and the road in from Taheke is 9 km unsealed.
Horeke sits on the Hokianga Harbour and is the oldest European settlement in the Hokianga, with the Mangungu Mission House — where the largest signing of the Treaty of Waitangi took place on 12 Feb 1840 — 3 km west along the shore. There are no shops, one pub and a handful of beds, so it works as a quiet one-night stop on a Hokianga loop, not as a base for several days.
- Country
- New Zealand
- Best months
- Nov–Apr
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (wet, fewer open hours)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NZD
- Money
- Currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD, NZ$). Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere; some small rural stalls and honesty boxes are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget NZ$80–130 excl. bed · Mid NZ$130–220 excl. bed · High NZ$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- One NZ, Spark and 2degrees sell tourist SIMs at Auckland and Christchurch arrivals and in supermarkets; passport not required.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 111 · Non-urgent police 105 · Traffic *555
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same angled two- or three-pin plug as Australia, Fiji and China; switch the socket on at the wall.
- Tipping
- Café or restaurant: Nothing expected; 10% for very good service at dinner is a bonus.; Taxi / Uber: Nothing; round up if you like.; Guide or tour: Optional NZ$10–20 for a day guide.; Hotel: Nothing.; Public holidays: Cafés may add a 10–15% holiday surcharge to the bill; it is legal and shown on menus.
- Water
- Tap water is safe almost everywhere; follow boil-water notices in small rural schemes. Treat stream water in the backcountry.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in every town and at most lookouts; DOC long-drops on tracks. Carry paper; never use the roadside.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or a flat white | NZ$5–7 |
| Pub meal (burger, fish and chips) | NZ$25–38 |
| Draught beer in the pub | NZ$9–12 |
| Petrol, per litre | NZ$2.60–3.10 |
| Wairere Boulders entry, adult | NZ$15 |
| Mangungu Mission House entry, adult | NZ$7 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- AKL · Auckland Airport
- About 3.5–4 h drive north via SH 1; the usual arrival point for the Hokianga.
- KKE · Kerikeri/Bay of Islands Airport
- About 1 h 15 min drive via SH 1 and Okaihau; small domestic terminal, check schedules.
Typical fares
- Wairere Boulders entry, adult
- NZ$15
- Mangungu Mission House entry, adult
- NZ$7
- Rawene ferry, car and driver
- check the current fare and timetable before you rely on it
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need a car. From SH 1 at Rangiahua, Rangiahua Road runs 10 km (6.2 mi) south-west on sealed road. From SH 12 at Taheke, Taheke Road runs north with a 9 km (5.6 mi) unsealed section. Wairere Boulders is about 4 km (2.5 mi) south; Mangungu Mission House is about 3 km (1.9 mi) west along the shore and can be walked on the unsealed road. There is no public transport and no fuel in the village.You need a car. From SH 1 at Rangiahua, Rangiahua Road runs 6.2 mi (10 km) south-west on sealed road. From SH 12 at Taheke, Taheke Road runs north with a 5.6 mi (9 km) unsealed section. Wairere Boulders is about 2.5 mi (4 km) south; Mangungu Mission House is about 1.9 mi (3 km) west along the shore and can be walked on the unsealed road. There is no public transport and no fuel in the village.
See and do
Known for
- Mangungu Mission House and the 1840 Treaty signing
- Wairere Boulders
- Oldest hotel and pub in New Zealand
- Hokianga Harbour shore and wharf
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mangungu Mission House | Drive or walk about 3 km (1.9 mi) west along the shore on Motukiore RoadDrive or walk about 1.9 mi (3 km) west along the shore on Motukiore Road | About 10 min by car, 40–50 min on foot |
| Wairere Boulders | Drive about 4 km (2.5 mi) south towards Taheke, then walk the footpathDrive about 2.5 mi (4 km) south towards Taheke, then walk the footpath | About 10 min by car plus 40–60 min on the short loop |
| Koutu Boulders | Drive south-east around the harbour towards Koutu | About 45–60 min |
| Opononi and the sand dunes | Drive around the harbour via Rawene or the Kohukohu ferry | About 1 h |
| Kohukohu | Drive to SH 1, north to Mangamuka Bridge, then follow signs | About 1 h 15 min |
| Mangamuka Bridge and Omahuta Kauri Sanctuary | Drive east to SH 1 then north | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Horeke village, beside the wharf
- The pub and the old hotel are here; walk to the wharf and the stilt buildings over the water.
- Horeke Road hillside
- Guesthouse-style stays on the hill above the harbour, a short drive from the village.
- Rawene or Opononi (fallback)
- More beds, food and fuel 30–60 min away if Horeke is full.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Kia ora |
| Hello / welcome | Nau mai, haere mai |
| Where is the toilet? | Kei hea te wharepaku? |
| How much is it? | E hia te utu? |
| Can I pay by card? | Ka taea te utu mā te kāri? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Kia ora or a handshake; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; overlong small talk before business
- Marae visit: Wait to be called on, follow your guide through the pōwhiri, remove shoes before the meeting house; avoid: Eating or drinking inside the wharenui; walking in front of speakers
- Tables and heads: Keep bottoms off tables and hats off tables; food stays away from heads; avoid: Sitting on tables or kitchen benches; touching people's heads
- Roads: Pull over at slow-vehicle bays to let queues pass; wave thanks; avoid: Stopping on the road for photos; drifting right after a stop
- Outdoors: Carry out all rubbish; use toilets; stick to tracks; avoid: Feeding kea and other birds; toileting outside
- Talk: Self-deprecating humour and understatement; avoid: Calling New Zealanders Australians; boasting
- Home visit: Bring wine or something to share; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving empty-handed to a 'bring a plate' event
- Names: Use Māori place names and pronounce them with care; avoid: Joking about Māori words or haka
Scams and watch-outs
- No shops and no fuel: bring food, cash and a full tank from Rawene, Kaikohe or Opononi.
- The Taheke Road approach includes a 9 km unsealed section; check conditions after rain and drive to the surface.
- One-lane bridges and gravel edges are normal on Hokianga roads; keep left and slow down.
- Mobile coverage is patchy around the harbour; download maps and your booking details before you leave town.
- Mangungu Mission House hours are seasonal and it closes on 25 Dec: check before driving out.
Horeke is a very small, quiet settlement and the main risks are driving ones: unsealed and gravel roads, one-lane bridges, stock and logging trucks, and no fuel or phone signal for stretches. Carry water, food and a full tank, and tell someone your route.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Horeke yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mangungu Mission House and the 1840 Treaty signing
- Wairere Boulders
- Oldest hotel and pub in New Zealand
- Hokianga Harbour shore and wharf
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Heritage New Zealand — Mangungu Mission House: www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/1/Listing
- Wairere Boulders: wairereboulders.co.nz/
- Department of Conservation — Tāne Mahuta and Northland kauri walks: www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/northland/
- Horeke Hotel: horekehotel.nz/
- Wikivoyage: Horeke, revision 5238988 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5238988
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Horeke
Ki tēnei wāhi, koa
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies or consulates in Horeke; the nearest consular help is in Auckland. US, UK, Canadian and Australian travellers should register with their embassy in Wellington or Auckland before heading into Northland.
Fuel, food and phone signal are all outside the village: fill up and shop in Rawene, Kaikohe or Opononi first.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/horeke). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.