- Puhoi in te reo Maori means slow water and refers to the Puhoi River, on which the town is located. According to the Puhoi Historical Society, settlers arrived in 1863 from Bohemia, a region in the Czech republic.
- The journey took 124 days and after sailing by cutter to the mouth of the Puhoi River, early settlers were taken the final few kilometres by Maori waka.
- Firewood was the area’s first trading commodity followed by charcoal, timber and cattle. The locals even turned their hand to gathering ‘wood ear’ fungus, a Chinese delicacy, and trading it with local Chinese merchant Chew Chong.
- The population peaked a century ago at over 500 and in 1976 the Puhoi Historical Society was formed with the purpose of preserving the area’s history.
