Pompallier Mission and Printery

Run by Heritage NZ, the guided tour tells the amazing story of this place and the French connections! The building and grounds are beautifully restored. Great morning tea and lunch too!

Wow we were so lucky to have Dawn guide us through the Mission and show us the whole process from setting the phrases right through to the final binding of the books. Her knowledge of the process and passion for her tours gives you a real sense of wonder and appreciation of the unbelievably hard life it must have been for the brothers who produced the books. Dawn is easily one of the best guides that we have met through all our years of travels. So hopefully you are lucky too because guides like Dawn are a real treat.

I am a letterpress printer and I’m interested in history and this place exudes both! We were expertly guided around the printshop, tannery and bindery by Lydia who was very knowledgeable on the subject of printing and the history of Pompallier!

I last visited here in the early 1970’s when it was Pompellier House so was surprised the house had disappeared and the place was taken back to its original building as a printers. The guide was great, passionate about the mission, full of interesting stories of NZ history, not judgemental or political. I’m a New Zealander over 70 and learnt so much about pre 1840 NZ.

Interesting - I don't usually do the tourist thing, but it was great - hard not to be captured by such a passionate and knowledgeable guide. History was good to know.

Do not miss the guided tour! I was a bit skeptical as I didn’t think a printing press would be that interesting, but it was FANTASTIC! The past truly comes alive as you get to literally see it in action and even touch some of the original or replica materials. The sordid past of Russell is also revealed through great stories that were totally new to me. Start your day in Russell here; be sure to enjoy a pastry or quiche or sandwich and a coffee as well! Also the gift shop is phenomenal, I bought a book I’m really excited about I haven’t seen anywhere else.

I visited this spot during my Northland trip. This is one of the best historical places that I visited in Northland. They have tried to keep everything as is. The printing machine, the tannery, everything. The real experience of printing something on paper was amazing! The garden with colourful flowers has also been really well maintained and there’s amazing view from up the hill too. The gift shop has good collection of souvenirs and the staff has some great customer service skills. Their coffee is also one of the best in Russell. Would highly recommend this place and would definitely visit again with more friends. Cheers

Fantastic experience, I highly recommend joining the guided tour. It’s fun and it includes a lot of interesting knowledge. Made me really appreciate how books were made. A must do if you are in the area.

I had an amazing day here and the tour guide she was amazing great knowledge of the area and the history I recommend it and the crasonts and coffee where delicious great value for money $30 that's a guided tour and crasonts and hot drink