Williams House & Gardens


The historic buildings and gardens of Paihia's First Mission Station include a restored stone store, and now house a community library and a community secondhand bookshop. Free public wi-fi is available here too.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. St Paul’s Anglican Church

0.2 MILES

The characterful St Paul's was constructed of Kawakawa stone in 1925, and stands on the site of the original mission church, a simple raupo (bulrush) hut…

2. Opua Forest

0.51 MILES

Just behind Paihia, this regenerating forest has walking trails ranging from 10 minutes to five hours. A few large trees have escaped axe and fire,…

3. Waitangi Treaty Grounds

1.19 MILES

Occupying a headland draped in lawns and bush, this is NZ's most significant historic site. Here, on 6 February 1840, after much discussion, the first 43…

4. Pompallier Mission

2.07 MILES

Built in 1842 to house the Catholic mission’s printing press, this rammed-earth building is the mission's last remaining building in the western Pacific,…

5. Russell Museum

2.16 MILES

This small museum has a well-presented Māori section, a large 1:5 scale model of Captain Cook’s Endeavour, a 10-minute video on the town’s history and an…

6. Christ Church

2.21 MILES

English naturalist Charles Darwin made a donation towards the cost of building this, the country’s oldest surviving church (1836). The graveyard's biggest…

7. Haruru Falls

2.3 MILES

A walking track (one way 1½ hours, 5km) leads from the Treaty Grounds along the Waitangi River to these attractive horseshoe falls. Part of the path…

8. Flagstaff Hill

2.44 MILES

Overlooking Russell, this is the hill where Hōne Heke chopped down the British flagpole four times. You can drive up, but the epic view over Russell and…