Kaihu

Kaihu is a locality and settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Kaihu River runs through the Kaihu Valley into the Wairoa River near Dargaville, approximately 32 km south east. State Highway 12 runs along the valley and passes through Kaihu settlement. Aranga is about 10 km north west. The Kaihu Forest is to the east and the Marlborough Forest is to the north.

The local hapu are Te Roroa of the Ngāti Whātua iwi.

History

Ngāti Awa originally occupied the area, but were evicted and replaced by Ngāti Whātua around 1640 CE. In 1806 during the Musket Wars, battles were fought between Ngāti Whātua and Ngā Puhi over a pa near Kaihu, and a further raid occurred in 1825.

Samuel Polack may have been the first European to visit Kaihu, in 1832. John Whiteley described Kaihu as "the principal village of Kaipara" in 1834 and recommended it as a suitable place for a mission to be built.

Several Europeans tried to purchase land at Kaihu before a deadline on land purchases set for 14 January 1840 by Sir George Gipps. An attempt to purchase 18,000 acres (7300 ha) by James Salter and others in March 1839 was disallowed. Thomas Spencer purchased 400 acres (160 ha) of land in Kaihu in September 1839.