Betty,
Puhoi is about 45 minutes drive from Auckland.No public transport goes there.It is very small and quaint with only a few buildings.You will see it all from the van.The settlers took up land holdings in the district,so very few houses in the village.There is a museum there,(Ive yet to see it open) but here is a link that gives all the History and the links back to the Homeland.Most people live on an acreage.It was very popular for "the hippy lfestyle" at one stage but is changing now as the area has come into high demand ,being close to Auckland.

http://www.puhoihistoricalsociety.org.nz/