Country Churches of NZ 48. St. Matthews's, Waipatu Marae, Hawkes Bay

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 MATTHEW'S, WAIPATU MARAE

‘Wide open and welcoming. Inside a high, dark, cool nave with a faded, once stained-glass window at east. Walls carry photographs of Maori battalion and a panoramic photograph of the Lambeth Conference of 1948, 200-300 clergy with Bishop Bennett, Bishop of Aotearoa, highlighted.

'Three children arrive; the oldest tells me that they sometimes sleep in the church. She says I look like her grandfather. In the hall nearby a thudding haka rehearsal is going on. A woman comes out (to check on the stranger with the children) and tells me there's going to be a haka competition next week.

'The church, especially the be!fry, is tired-looking but well used which is probably better than being well maintained and rarely used. It's a bit like an old, friendly sofa'
 
(From my Notebook 25/3/01)

© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
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