Blaze at cafe next to New Zealand's oldest building 'suspicious', FENZ says

A fire at a cafe next to New Zealand's oldest surviving building is being investigated as suspicious.Flames broke out at the back of the Honey House Café in Kerikeri overnight, a spokesperson for the cafe said on Saturday morning.The business is next to Kemp House, which was built between 1821 and 1822 by missionaries, and was an important focus for early relationships between Māori and Pākehā.Another heritage building, the Stone Store, which was built not much later - from 1832 to 1836, is also next door to the cafe.The fire had been small, and "both Kemp House and Stone Store were thankfully unaffected by the blaze," the Honey House Café spokesperson said."Authorities are currently investigating, so the site is closed until further notice."Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) said they were notified of the fire at 11:30pm Friday, and five crews responded.The fire was "well involved" when firefighters arrived, and is being considered suspicious, they said, referring further enquiries to police.Police said they were notified by FENZ of a fire on KeriKeri Road shortly before 1am on Saturday. A scene guard was then posted at the site overnight.Police and a FENZ fire investigator would be at the scene on Saturday, looking into what caused the fire.Re-roofing work is currently being carried out at Kemp House, with the aim to have it finished by summer.In 2023, a large stand of gum trees near the Stone Store were poisoned, which at the time created a risk they could fall on the building.