Jo-Anne La Grouw is the organiser of the Geyser Garden Art Festival which is held in her garden. Photo / File
Jo-Anne La Grouw is the organiser of the Geyser Garden Art Festival which is held in her garden. Photo / File
Get a peek of a private lakeside garden which is the pride and joy of its owners, while enjoying entertainment and raising funds for an important historical building.
A garden festival is being held in the private two-acre lakeside garden of Jo-Anne and Joe La Grouw.
She says there will be garden art and plants for sale, along with entertainment from local ukulele group and dance groups.
All profits from the festival will go towards supporting the maintenance of St Faith's Church.
"Being in a high thermal area, maintenance is an ongoing issue for them, and St Faith's Church is probably one of our oldest buildings open to public in Rotorua."
She says the festival will be something different to do in your weekend, and is a great opportunity to visit this garden, which will be its last time open to the public.
"We are subdividing and making it into two sections, so the garden won't be available to the public in the future."
Jo-Anne says it is a mature garden and she spends hours a week on its maintenance as it is her hobby.
St Faith's Church secretary of management Ann Somerville says, "We so appreciate the generosity of Jo-Anne and Joe, and their whole-hearted way of contributing so much to the community.
"With Covid and other things we really need the help and we appreciate it very much."
She says maintenance is ongoing with a building more than 100 years old and being in a thermal area.
"It's a constant thing we have to consider to keep it as it is, and make sure we don't let future generations down by not maintaining it.
"It's a beautiful building, with all its treasured windows and stories that go with them."
The first St Faith's was called Te Hahi o Te Whakapono - The Church of the Faith - and the second dedicated on the same site in 1914 was called St Faith's Anglican Church.
St Faith's is a Heritage New Zealand listed building. Its ancient history and the knowledge of dead buried there, contribute to the ongoing sacredness of the area and is one of the reasons the church stands today on sanctified land.
The church we now call St Faith's has graced this site for over 130 years.
The details - What: Garden Festival fundraiser - When: Saturday, March 13, 10am to 4pm - Where: 20 Tupara Cres, Kawaha Point - Garden entry $5, Devonshire tea/coffee $5
