Country Churches of NZ 127. St. Patrick's, St Bathans, Central Otago

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.

ST. PATRICK’S, ST. BATHANS

The town of St. Bathans had such a fabulously rich goldfield that miners turned what was once a 120m hill into what is now the flooded crater of the 50m deep Blue Lake.

St Patrick's was built in 1892 for Catholics and has a 'stone lasts forever' look about it that contrasts with corrugated iron St Alban's up the road. A misleading impression, for like the nearby Vulcan Hotel, it is built of sun-dried mud brick.

I did my work in the churchyard on a chilly spring morning, my feet in dew-wet grass and periwinkle but as I sketched, the sun picked its way across the tombstones and lit up a magnificent horse chestnut in full bloom, probably as old as the church.

© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
.