The Kerikeri River rises in the Puketi Forest inland from Kerikeri, a popular tourist destination in the famous Bay of Islands on the North Island of New Zealand about three hours drive north of Auckland. Kerikeri is renowned for its history, art, cafes, vineyards and easy access to Northland's beautiful coastline. Lake Manuwai is 10 minutes drive and stocked with rainbow trout. It is able to be fished with a license, 12 months of the year. Kerikeri is the site of the first permanent mission station in the country, and has some of the most historic buildings extant in the country today. A rapidly-expanding centre of sub-tropical and allied horticulture, Kerikeri lies at the very western extremity of the Kerikeri Inlet, where fresh water of the Kerikeri River tumbles into the salty Pacific Ocean. Being slightly less than 20km long it is hardly a significant waterway, but because it terminates at one of the most important historic sites in the country, the Stone Store Basin, it is known to countless thousands of tourists who visit Kerikeri each year.
Part of the history of the river is that it was used by chief Hongi Hika whose Kororipo Pa is about 100 metres across the basin from the bridge. Hongi used the river and tracks beside it to commute to Kororipo, his coastal pa, which played a significant part in the historic Musket Wars, battles in the early 1800s when there was deadly inter-tribal conflict between various groups of Maori, primarily on the North Island in New Zealand. The conflict was a direct result of the introduction of the musket into the Maori culture. Northern tribes, such as the rival Ngapuhi and Ngati Whatua, were the first to obtain the weapon and inflicted heavy causualties upon each other and on neighboring tribes, some of whom had never seen the musket before. A popular walking track from the basin leads about 5 km to the rivers spectacular Rainbow Falls. One of the first hydroelectric power stations in New Zealand was constructed on the river, and remains of it can be seen from the track.
