Puhoi
Encyclopedia
Puhoi is a settlement located approximately 50 km north of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Puhoi is probably a Maori word which may be translated as "Slow water".

It was settled by Europeans on 29 June 1863 by a group of German-speaking migrants from Staab (modern Stod
Stod (Czech Republic)
Stod is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It lies some south-west from the region capital of Plzeň upon the Radbuza River.Stod is also the seat of the Municipality with Extended Competence.-History:...

) in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

, now a province of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

, under the leadership of Captain Martin Krippner
Martin Krippner
Martin Krippner was a Bohemian-born Austrian Captain who led the settlement of Puhoi by German speaking Bohemians from Staab / Stod in 1863.- Career :...

. This has given it the appellation of "Bohemian Settlement". Altogether three batches of migrants arrived between 1863 and 1866.

The migrants were allocated parcels of land by the colonial government. However, when the migrants arrived, the land was covered with forest, which they had to set about clearing before they could begin to use the land.

The original settlers were all of the Roman Catholic faith and one of the first things they turned their attention to was constructing a church. This was completed in 1881 and dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul whose feast day in the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 calendar falls on 29 June, the date of the arrival of the first settlers. The church still stands today and serves the community.

Today the village is still thriving. It features the church, a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

 and a general store which all have their origins from the times of the first settlers. There is a museum which occupies premises that were originally built as the Catholic primary school (1923-1964). In addition there are a number of small industriesand shops such as The French Shead, The Puhoi Cheese Factory, The Mustard Makers and Puhoi Coffeethat which have had their origins in more modern times.

Films

Tommyknockers
The Tommyknockers (TV miniseries)
The Tommyknockers is a 1993 television miniseries based on the novel The Tommyknockers by Stephen King. It was directed by John Power, and starred Marg Helgenberger and Jimmy Smits in the two lead roles.-Part One:...

was filmed in Puhoi in 1992.

Other films including Bridge to Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia (2007 film)
Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 fantasy drama film directed by Gábor Csupó and adapted for film by David L. Paterson and Jeff Stockwell. The film is based on the Katherine Paterson novel of the same name, and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures in the US. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia...

were also filmed around Puhoi, including scenes from inside and outside the church.

Sylvia
Sylvia (1985 film)
Sylvia is a 1985 New Zealand biographical film about author Sylvia Ashton-Warner. The film was directed by Michael Firth, and stars Eleanor David, Nigel Terry, and Tom Wilkinson....

was also filmed in Puhoi.

As was Trespasses (also known as Finding Katie during filming).

External links

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