Country Churches of NZ 28. St. Paul's, Hairini, Waikato

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 PAUL'S, HAIRINI

It was a gorgeous day for a wedding and one was about to start at St Paul's, Hairini, when I arrived. Wedding guests were all dressed up. It was mid-afternoon, shadows were lengthening, and a light breeze was rustling through a flimsy silver birch.

The church rises above rolling farmland. I left out the trees and the view to reveal the simple elegance of the 1856 Anglican mission church, which was designed by Reverend John Morgan.

A survivor of the Waikato wars, it is the only building remaining from the time when this area was a major centre of Maori agriculture.

© DON DONOVAN 

donovan@ihug.co.nz

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