POMPALLIER HOUSE -
is New Zealand's oldest surviving Roman Catholic building. It was buit in 1841-42, under the direction of architect Louis Perret, as the printery, tannery and storehouse for the French Marist mission at Kororareka. Construction was of pise de terre (rammed earth) on the ground floor and pan de bois (rammed earth panels in a kauri framework) on the upper floor. In 1856 the French sold the property to James Callaghan who used it as a tannery until 1863. The building was later altered to become a private home for over 70 years. It was then bought by the state and opened to the public as Pompallier House.

Now known as Pompallier, the building overlooks the breathtaking Bay of Islands and is surrounded by an attractive turn-of-the-century garden. It has undergone extensive award-winning conservation and is now a working museum, where tanning, printing and bbokbinding can be seen.