Edmond's Ruin Kerikeri

Last weekend we ventured out to a local historical place called "Edmond's Ruin Historic Reserve" about 15 minutes out of Kerikeri.

There is the remains of a stone house, stone walls and various citrus trees, native trees and shrubs.

John Edmonds was an Englishman who came here from Worcestor and was sent here by the Christian Missionary Society to build the Stone Store. The Missionaries weren't told about this and instead ended up employing William Parrot, a stonemason from Sydney, Australia.

In 1837-1838 John Edmonds, embarrassed about the omission bought about 2,700 acres on both sides of the Kerikeri River and wrote that it was "covered in ferns, volcanic stones, swamps, rough grass and very little wood.

Sometime between 1841 and 1859 he built a stone house which had walls that were over half a metre thick. It was approx 38 foot long and 28 foot wide, it had a large lounge and a big open fireplace, bedroom, kitchen with a stone oven.

Opposite the kitchen door was another smaller building with a fireplace and a stone wash basin. The roof was made of shingles, he named his house "Belle Vue" after his home in England.

John Edmonds and his sons worked the property and created an orchard, a garden and a vegetable garden. Unfortunately around 1885-1886 it was believed that one of his boys was supervising a controlled scrub fire/burn off and the sparks from this spread to the roof thus destroying the house of which the ruins are still there today.

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