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Nearby Neighbours Puhoi Historic Village - a very special place to live The early settlers of Puhoi (Slow Water) came in 1863 from Bohemia, an area of what is now the Czech Republic, approximately 60km from Prague. At the time the migrants left Bohemia, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the snow, at midnight on 26 February 1863, 82 Bohemians destined for Puhoi left Staab (pronounced ‘Stod’) by train for Prague, with the farewells of their parents and friends they would never see again. Three days later they were in Hamburg, their port of departure. After a long voyage, they arrived in Auckland before being taken by sailing cutter to the mouth of the Puhoi River. There, they were transferred to Maori canoes for the last four miles of their journey. They arrived at two nikau whares on the river bank, now part of the presbytery grounds. This was on June 29 1863, after a journey of 124 days. In despair, in the cold and dark, the women sank to the ground and wept. The Bohemian settlers started clearance work immediately on their allotted land and began building nikau shacks and defining boundaries by tracks between neighbours. No one knows today how the original lots were identified or allocated. Whilst there was plenty of food available from the bush, river and sea, the settlers initially struggled to communicate with either Maori or English-speaking folk. Ploughing was possible after 1873, with the arrival of horses – which also made the 30-mile walk to Auckland a thing of the past. Around the same time, the first sheep were also introduced. Today ‘a true community’ sums up Puhoi Historic Village. With just 650 in the community, it’s just a really neat place to live, comprising a true mix of characters from 3rd – 4th generation Bohemian families to newcomers from all over the world and, with farmers to lawyers, it’s the diversity of the community that makes it very special. As we say here in Puhoi ‘we are close to Auckland BUT … a World away!’ Photo captions: Church – The Catholic church of Saints Peter and Paul • People by river - Families enjoy the new wharf area in the centre of the village • Pub – The World famous Puhoi Pub and Hotel
