Kohukohu

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Kohukohu is a small village on the Hokianga Harbour in the Northland region of New Zealand. It was one of the country’s first European settlements.

Where it is located: The village sits on the northern shore of the harbour, where it splits into two rivers—the Mangamuka River (to the northeast) and the Waihou River (toward the east).

History and notable facts: Motiti Island near Kohukohu was painted by Augustus Earle, the first European artist to spend months in New Zealand. In Māori tradition, Kohukohu is linked to the explorer Kupe. The first recorded European to reach the Hokianga Harbour was in 1819. By the 1830s, Kohukohu became a centre for timber, and the area hosted New Zealand’s first Catholic mass nearby in 1838. A sawmill was built in 1878, and the town remained an important timber town for about a century. In 1900, Kohukohu had around 2,000 residents.

The Kohukohu footbridge: A notable landmark, the footbridge near the town centre, is believed to be New Zealand’s oldest surviving stone bridge. It was built between 1843 and 1851 at the mouth of Waihouuru Creek. Sandstone blocks used for the bridge came from ships that visited the harbour. Reclamation for timber mill work moved the land and the bridge about 100 metres from the shore. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a Category 1 site in 2008.

Today’s Kohukohu: The area covers about 4.26 square kilometres and has a small rural population. In 2025, around 180 people lived there, with a mix of European and Māori residents. English is the main spoken language, with some Māori speakers.

Marae and culture: The community has several marae (Māori meeting places) connected to local hapū (tribes), reflecting the area’s strong Māori heritage.

Education: Kohukohu School is a co-educational primary school for years 1–8. It had about 32 students in 2025. The school began in 1883 and moved to a new site in 1972 because the old ground was unstable; the original site is now a historic reserve.