I wrote and illustrated Country Churches of New Zealand. It was published in 2002 by New Holland, Publishers and is still on sale in bookshops. The publishers have kindly agreed to me re-publishing some of the book’s images and descriptions in this blog.
It was pleasant to sit and sketch this church in the shade of a handy tree, my folding stool rocking on the springy turf with its scattering of rabbit pellets and dandelions; the tree ferns each side of the door looked as if they'd been there since Genesis.
The Presbyterian Wainui Early Settlers' Church was built in 1862 on land given by the Crown to the famous surveyor Charles Heaphy V.C.
Despite being quite close to Orewa and Auckland, it's now remote from its community. Although very simple – just porch and nave – its proportions are faultless. For many years it was the only public building in the district and served not only as a church but also as a school, store and post office. In fact, in the wall of the porch there's still a slit where letters were once posted.
© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
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