Saturday 10 March 2012

Close to home

Most time my travels do not take me west.  Occasionally when I have a visitor and I think they may get tired of travelling up and down the same dirt road to get anywhere, I turn left out of the driveway and take the long way to town.  But, I have never come home that way.  

Returning from our tiki tour (in other countries you might call it the ‘roundabout way’ to get somewhere, or the ‘scenic route’) around the Hokianga, the road from the west was the shortest way home.

It had never dawned on me that I should drive this road from the other direction just once, although I'm well aware you see different things when travelling in a different direction.  

Sure enough, I spotted a church I've never noticed before.  When I drive along this road, it is always hidden from view.  

So the Church of Epiphany, near Tangiteroria, was a pleasant surprise.  When I thought we'd seen all the churches we were going to see this trip, there was one more waiting, close to home.

A sign inside the church informed us it will be 100 years old in January, 2016, the new roof was completed in 2009 and parishioners are now fundraising for the next project - the renewal of the steeple roof, the cross and the walls.  They hope to have the refurbishment completed for the centenary celebrations.   I look forward to seeing it when it has been returned to its former glory.



It's quiet, rural setting isn't as grand as some of the churches we visited in the Hokianga but would compete with quite a few.

7 comments:

  1. Hello Pauline,

    What a sweet little church, very up close to the alter. Are those real flowers in the vase?
    Thanks for the tour of churches,most interesting.
    Have a great weekend.
    Bev.xoxo

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  2. I too have enjoyed your church tour. Amazing what you can find close to home when you see things from a different perspective.

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  3. I like the cozy feel of this little church.

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  4. Great photos. I like the intimacy of a small church as opposed to a huge on with thousands of people.

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  5. It's lovely in its simplicity, and once again, so like a Cape Breton country church.
    My friend Anne and I once walked a very familiar route, starting out at the normal end. We saw things we'd never noticed and were slightly off-kilter the whole time.

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  6. I really fell for that little church. It was simple but it was still loved which, unfortunately, was more than could be said for many of the others we saw.

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  7. It's a quaint little church and the inside reminds me of the church from Little House On The Prairie. I just love finding things I've never noticed before and I'm glad you found this little church.

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