Last updated October 2026
Kauri is a rural settlement in the Whangārei District, spread along State Highway 1 on the northern side of the city. The official locality name is Kauri, while the older name Kaurihohore is still used for the church, school, cemetery and hall clustered on Apotu Road.
Farmland and lifestyle blocks surround that small historic core, so the place feels like open country within a short drive of town. Its best-known story is Scots Presbyterian settlement, linked to the Nova Scotian migration that also shaped Waipu. There is no town centre to wander.
The interest is the timber church, the school gate, the cemetery and the rural landscape, with the volcanic dome of Mount Parakiore to the southwest.
Official Locality Facts
- Population (2023 Census)
- About 1,490, up 9% since 2018
- Land area
- 30.20 km²
- Location
- 9.8 km north of central Whangārei
- Council
- Whangarei District Council
- Ward or local board
- Hikurangi-Coastal Ward, Whangārei District
- Getting there
- State Highway 1 passes through Kauri. Apotu Road leaves the highway and serves the Kaurihohore church, school and cemetery. Travel is by private vehicle; a scheduled public bus stop in the locality was not confirmed.
- Schools
- Kaurihohore School, a coeducational state contributing primary school (years 1 to 6) on Apotu Road
- Nearby landmarks
- Kaurihohore Presbyterian Church, Kaurihohore Cemetery, Kaurihohore Hall, Mount Parakiore
Who Lives in Kauri
About 1,490 residents in 500 households. From the 2023 Census, with the New Zealand figure alongside for comparison.
About Kauri
Kauri is a LINZ locality, not a city suburb with a shopping strip. Houses and farms sit along State Highway 1 and the side roads that leave it, and daily life is rural: school runs, farm work, and trips into Whangārei for most services.
The name most people still use for the historic cluster is Kaurihohore. That is the name on the church, the school and the cemetery, all on Apotu Road a short way off the highway.
A verified translation of Kaurihohore was not found, so this guide does not offer one. Heritage New Zealand’s registration report for the church records that the Kaurihohore block was purchased for the Crown on 8 June 1867 for 550 pounds, with 13 Māori signatories.
The same report sets that purchase in a wider district history that includes Te Parawhau. Several hapū have connections across the Whangārei area, and this page does not treat one iwi as the only one with an interest here.
European settlement followed the migration led by Reverend Norman McLeod from Scotland by way of Nova Scotia. Heritage New Zealand records that settlers associated with that migration began arriving at Kaurihohore from 1856, some choosing it in preference to Waipu. They established a Presbyterian community that still marks the locality: a school room used for worship, then a church, a school and a public hall.
Descendants of those families have remained part of local memory, and the church is still used for worship and for baptisms, weddings and funerals.
What you see now is a working rural settlement rather than a visitor precinct. The plain timber church, the school next to it, and the cemetery that wraps around the church grounds are the public face of Kaurihohore. Beyond them, the land is mostly farms and rural residential properties.
Mount Parakiore, a volcanic dome about one million years old, rises to 391 metres to the southwest and is part of the Harbour Fault, the same volcanic line as Mount Hikurangi and Parahaki. It is a landscape feature, not a confirmed public walk.
History and Heritage
The Kaurihohore Presbyterian Church on Apotu Road is listed by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga as a Historic Place Category 2 (list number 465). The date of the present building is not certain.
Heritage New Zealand considers that a school room used for worship opened in 1861, and that the church standing today was probably opened in 1871 and extended in 1884.
A sign at the church has long claimed an 1861 date. The registration report treats that claim with caution and still ranks the building among the oldest Presbyterian churches in Northland still in use.
The church is a simple weatherboard building, originally roofed in shingles and later in corrugated iron, with kauri timber in its construction. Its plain form matches the austere worship of many Scots Presbyterians, and much of the traditional furniture remains, including the pulpit, communion table and pews. Memorial gates were added in 1936.
The listing also covers war memorials and other chattels. The building sits on the western side of Apotu Road, with the cemetery on three sides and the school beside it. The heritage record describes access as private: the listing itself does not create a right to wander through the building.
Kaurihohore School has its own long local history. Wikipedia records that the school was built in 1877, burned down in 1942, and reopened in a new building in 1948. It later marked a 125th jubilee.
A community hall has stood in the settlement since the late nineteenth century. Together, church, school, hall and cemetery are the heritage landscape of Kaurihohore, even though the wider locality is now known as Kauri.
Getting Around
State Highway 1 is the spine of the locality. It is the route between Whangārei and the communities further north, so traffic is steady rather than local only.
Apotu Road is the turn-off that matters for the historic sites. Whangārei District Council identifies the Kauri address cluster around the highway intersection and along Apotu Road, including the approach to Kaurihohore Cemetery.
There is no confirmed town bus stop to send visitors to. Plan on a private vehicle, and allow for highway speeds and limited parking at the church and cemetery rather than a formed visitor car park. The church is a place of worship, not a signed tourist stop, so park considerately and do not block the school or cemetery entrance.
Community Facilities
Kaurihohore School is the local primary school: a coeducational state contributing school for years 1 to 6, on Apotu Road. Older students travel out of the locality for intermediate and secondary schooling.
The school sits in the same historic group as the church and cemetery, which is why the settlement still reads as a small rural community rather than a loose scatter of houses.
Kaurihohore Cemetery, on Apotu Road, is one of the district’s trust-operated cemeteries. Whangārei District Council publishes trustee contact details and notes that those details are kept to the best of its knowledge.
The Kaurihohore Hall is the local community hall, used for gatherings rather than as a visitor centre. Sunday worship at the church is the most regular public event. The Kaurihohore / Kamo Co-operating Parish lists services at 10:00am and an address at 59 Apotu Road, Kaurihohore.
Near Kauri
Just outside Kauri, within 10 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Businesses
Where to Learn More
These sources cover the church listing, the cemetery, and the parish that still uses the building.
Heritage New Zealand: Church (Presbyterian), Kaurihohore: Category 2 listing, with the building history, 1867 land purchase record, and notes on access.
Whangārei District Council: trust-operated cemeteries: confirms Kaurihohore Cemetery on Apotu Road, Kauri, and lists trustee contacts.
Kaurihohore / Kamo Co-operating Parish: service time, street address and contact details for the working church.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kauri part of Whangārei?
Yes. It is a locality in the Whangārei District, in the Hikurangi-Coastal Ward. It is a rural settlement, not an inner-city suburb.
Is Kauri the same place as Kaurihohore?
Kauri is the official locality name. Kaurihohore is the historic name still used for the church, school, cemetery and hall on Apotu Road.
How do I get to Kauri?
Follow State Highway 1 through the locality, then take Apotu Road for the church, school and cemetery. A scheduled public bus stop in Kauri was not confirmed, so plan to drive.
What school is in Kauri?
Kaurihohore School, a coeducational state contributing primary school for years 1 to 6, on Apotu Road. It does not take students through to secondary school.
Can I look inside the Kaurihohore church?
It is a working church, not a staffed museum. The parish welcomes people to Sunday worship. The Heritage New Zealand listing does not by itself allow general public access. Contact the parish before visiting outside a service.
Is there a shopping centre in Kauri?
No town shopping centre or retail strip was confirmed in the locality. Most shopping is done elsewhere in the wider Whangārei area.
What is Mount Parakiore?
It is a volcanic dome to the southwest of the settlement, rising to 391 metres, and part of the Harbour Fault. Public walking access was not confirmed, so do not assume there is an open track across private land.
Who looks after Kaurihohore Cemetery?
It is a trust-operated cemetery on Apotu Road. Whangārei District Council lists trustee contacts on its cemeteries page. Those contacts can change, so check the council page before you visit for a burial record or a plot enquiry.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Explore Whangārei only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Kauri is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.