The communion set and altar cloths from Te Hepara Pai (Church of the Good Shepherd), are all that remains of the fire. Photos/Supplied
The communion set and altar cloths from Te Hepara Pai (Church of the Good Shepherd), are all that remains of the fire. Photos/Supplied
When Mr D Fraser arrived in New Zealand one of the first posts he held was that of school teacher, and in 1872 he was sent to open a Māori school at Mangakāhia.
Little did he know at the time it would take several arduous days travel by steamer, then horseback over rough and treacherous terrain to reach this isolated settlement where the inhabitants, Ngāti Horahia, Ngāti Toki and Te Kumutu, sub tribes of Ngāpuhi, were living.
It is from the original church in this remote Northland valley that the Whangārei Museum has been gifted some treasured relics, saved from a disastrous fire which took place more than 100 years ago.
Donated to the museum by Mane Heke, the beautiful silver communion set and altar cloths from Te Hepara Pai (Church of the Good Shepherd) are all that remains of this tragic event which took place on Wednesday, January 13, 1915.
Built on the Mimitu-Ruarei Block situated in the fertile Mangakāhia River valley, Te Hepara Pai was the first 'native' church of its kind in the North with construction being completed in 1869.
However, the history of the church traces back to 1863 when a party of 14 Māori departed for England under the auspices of William Jenkins who organised this tour in the hope of improving Māori/Pākehā relations.
The silver communion set was donated to the Whangārei Museum by Mane Heke.
On arrival the group was inundated with invitations from England's most eminent people, including Queen Victoria, where they were lavishly entertained. After several months, funds were dwindling and the major problem loomed of how to finance their return voyage to New Zealand.
Help arrived from an unexpected source with donations being offered from a Birmingham lady, Miss Dorothea Weale who had heard of their plight and with friends had raised enough to pay for the groups passage home.
This generosity of Miss Weale and supporters made a deep impression on the Māori group who on their return to Northland were determined to fulfil her hope of providing churches in their home communities.
The driving force behind this initiative was Reihana Te Taukawau, one of the older members of the group. Once back home, he told his people about their trip to England and 'The Faith', enthusing the local community about the project, fundraising by various means including gumdigging until they had secured enough money for the construction of their church.
The communion set and altar cloths from Te Hepara Pai (Church of the Good Shepherd), are all that remains of the fire. Photos/Supplied
Once Te Hepara Pai was built, Dorothea Weale continued to support the church and its congregation. In 1873 the silver communion service from her and close friend Miss Selwyn, arrived from London, while a few years later she donated a large stone font. The church also had a beautifully worked altar-cloth, reportedly made at Jerusalem, yet another gift of Miss Weale.
For several years after serving as a focal point for local Māori, the little "Church of the Good Shepherd" was burnt to the ground. A burn-off in the vicinity got out of control and, with a wind change, the flames raced towards and engulfed the wooden building.
Described as neat, ecclesiastical and prettily situated, the historic church was built on 1.6 hectares of land adjoining the small cemetery, which along with the church relics in the museum, are a few tangible remains of its existence surviving today.
■ Natalie Brookland is collection registrar, Whangārei Museum at Kiwi North.
