Historic fence

I apologise in advance if anyone does not feel comfortable around cemeteries.  But here today I have a fence too special to not be featured.  It was built around the church and graveyard at the Waimate North Mission in 1878  and is made from totara, a lovely native tree.  Fences around graveyards are part of Maori tradition.

The above is looking right from the lynch-gate.  The next is looking left.  You will notice to the left of the lynch-gate the fence has the modern addition of a water tap (underneath 'Water' it specifies not for drinking).  In days gone by there would have been a bowl of water of some description.  A Maori cemetery is one of the most tapu (be sacred, prohibited, restricted) places in all of Maori society.  No eating, drinking or smoking is permitted within its boundaries since those activities are noa (the antithesis of tapu).  People leaving the urupa (burial ground) are expected to wash their hands with water and sprinkle some on their heads, to reduce the tapu to the safe state of noa.  

 

 

Here the fence separates the graves from a neighbouring paddock.

I imagine this fence would once have been very grand.  You can see the perimeter fence in the background to the right. 

Next door to the churchyard a similar styled fence protects the little blacksmith's cottage (I think that's what it was) from the paddock behind.

If you are interested in Maori customs surrounding death go to this site.  It explains well the customs practised here in the north and is my go to site when I need help to understand why things are done in a certain way.

I have no idea why there are different fonts appearing in this post.  One of Blogger's little mysteries.

I'll be linking to Good Fences and this weekend really will be around to visit other contributors.  

Waimate North

Inside the church I mentioned yesterday the altar in front of the lovely stained glass windows is simple and quite humble.

But look to the left and there is a rather grand organ.  And I managed to find out a little of its history.  It was installed in 1885 at a cost (in England) of 240 pounds and then shipped out here to the colonies.  

It was paid for by the women of the of the family of the early missionary at Waimate North, George Clark, holding singing nights in their home to raise the money. It arrived in crates. The organ was carried in and installed by the women as the men were away at war. For three nights, they locked themselves in, piecing it together.  

I'm reminded of the "Girls can do anything" campaign of the 80s.  Seems they were 100 years behind the times! 

At the entrance the prayer books are lined up neatly in a regimental row.  They are printed in English and Maori.

The first child was baptized in this church on 10 July 1831.  I wonder if the font was there then.  It certainly looked very old but I couldn't find out anything about it.  I'm intrigued by the meaning of the words around the top.  It doesn't look like Latin or Maori to me.  Anyone know?

The church sits in a well cared for grave yard.  The last two shots are taken from the back of the church.

The church today is one of nine churches in the Parochial District of Waimate North.  The work of keeping them in repair is a heavy burden on the parishioners, and in 1964 when the steeple needed urgent repairs, the cost was beyond the capacity of the Central Vestry’s finances.  Thankfully, the National Historic Places Trust came to the rescue, renewed its damaged timbers, provided new shingles and a new Cross.  It's in beautiful condition. 

North

It's taken me a couple of days to download my photos from a great weekend in the north.  My friend Chris and I wandered many back roads and side roads, stopping whenever and wherever.

We probably spent more time in Kerikeri than anywhere else.  It's always a pleasant place to linger.  Chris was on the lookout for a specific material which she found at the old Stone Store, New Zealand's oldest standing European stone building.  It was built in 1832 and has been trading as a general store since 1870s. 

There's always something interesting to see inside the store, it has an amazing range of goods similar to those traded in the early 19th century, as well as a quirky range of New Zealand goods.   I wish now I had purchased one of those thick wooden rulers when I was there.  Next time.  If I remember.

We gave the country's oldest surviving building, Kemp House. which stands next to the store a passing glance but didn't explore further as we have both done so in the past.  

You'd think we were on a mission to visit historical places but we weren't.  It's hard to avoid places of historic interest when driving around in the north.  We didn't set out to visit the Mission House and church at Waimate North but noticed it as we approached and decided to call in.  The Mission House is the only survivor of three mission houses founded in 1830 and is the second oldest house in NZ still standing.   I didn't even get a photo that shows off its lovely, simple Georgian architecture.  You know me, I was more interested in the church.

 
Between the Mission House and the church is a modest cottage which I think used to be the blacksmith's home.    

I like the back story of this church.  The original church (built in 1831) had to be expanded to cope with the increasing number of worshipers that the early missionaries converted to Christianity (from 2,000 to 35,000 in four years).  The church seated 400 and as there had been congregations as large as 1,000 (in 1841), services were held in the churchyard.

^{The good times did not last; the faithful declined as the Maori congregation became disillusioned following the treaty war.  In 1870, when the church roof needed re-shingling, it was decided to pull it down and build a smaller one from the same materials.  I like the end result.}

The rest of a longer way home

It's over a week ago since I took the longer way home.  My hills of home come into view not long after turning off the highway west out of town.   They look the same although I'm seeing them from an entirely different angle.

I've been trying to get a shot of this old shearing shed for ages.  It's on a corner and on this day there was no other traffic so I could stop without being dangerous.

Much the same story with this old shed.  I stopped short of the corner and used the zoom.

Signs

Something off in the distance caught my eye.  I could see a flash of green when the trees moved in the wind.  It mystified me so much I had to go and see what it was.   Only just over another week to see who the new owner will be. 

That got me going on signs on fences.

More For Sale signs.  Anyone would think houses are worth more than farms, the signs advertising them are so large.  But they do hide a really ugly fence.

Signs of summer at the beach.

I'll be away again this weekend but if anyone from Good Fences passes by, could you link me please.

Mangawhai

Before I reached Mangawhai on Sunday I made a couple of stops but wasn't happy with any of the photos I took.  Isn't it funny, the ideas we get into our heads?  In my case it is, anyway.  Waipu has a lovely long beach with a creek running onto the beach at one end but I never think it looks good unless there is good surf and surfers riding the waves.  When the surf is flat, the whole place looks flat to me.

Langs Beach is the same.  To me, it needs action.  However, just around the corner, where the road goes up the hill and you can look down on this quiet little bay, no waves are needed.  I wonder where those perceptions come from?

Magical Mangawhai as it is marketed, was just that.  Sparkling and gleaming in soft sunlight.  No waves to speak of, hardly a soul around, the holiday makers have gone till next summer.

I suppose the many hooks and sinkers I lost while fishing off the end of that rock have long been buried.  I'd make a funny sight trying to scramble over those rocks to get out to the end these days.  Ah well, memories are good.

 

The estuary entrance is the other side of the rocks. 

 There wasn't much activity there either but a nice spot to sit in the sun and just enjoy being alive.

 Down by estuary I found a lone paddler and these two guys.  Do you think they have a problem?

 

For my next stop I headed out of town, down Black Swamp Road, then through the forest.  In one direction there was a lone surfer, outnumbered by the birds.

In the other a man and little guy were racing along the sand.  I was a fair distance away but could hear his triumphant shout when he won the race.  Happy sound.

I thought then that I'd pop in to see if my friends were at home.  But took one more detour to the end of Pearson Street where, with the tide so far out, even a little person could wade across the inlet with a helping hand.  I could just hear her happy chatter.

Happy sights, happy sounds, happy day.

Old roads, new roads

The weather map predicted "Calm" over the whole country for Sunday.  That's rather unusual but calm it certainly was in this neck of the woods.  The sun was shining, not a breath of wind.  

I set out without a plan, just an idea to return to where I'd been the day before to take photos of the cattle I showed yesterday.  By the way, they are white galloway x friesian.  The friend who had hosted our get together on Saturday found out for me. I thought perhaps I'd explore a road I haven't travelled in years.  But the car was pointing towards the coast, so that's the way I went.

Remember the movie "The gods must be crazy"?  I thought about that coke bottle when I saw this one.  I refused to let the sight of it upset my day although I wasn't very happy about seeing it there.  The only blight on the peaceful scene at the Waipu Boat & Fishing Club.

The tide was very, very low and appeared to be standing still.  I don't know how many photos I've taken of Waipu River mouth at the end of Hamon Road (one of them is my header at the moment) but I don't think I've ever seen so much sand there.

Just a bit further down the road I decided to venture down Johnson Point Road to the Wildlife Refuge.  It years since I last did so.  I think the wildlife was elsewhere, although there were a few ducks off in the distance. 

While I was busy tripping up and down sideroads, I thought I might as well venture up McLean Road as well, to capture a couple of shots of Sail Rock (to the left of the next image) and the Hen and Chicks Islands.

Eventually I made it to Mangawhai and visited friends from way back.  I'll post a few shots from there tomorrow.

Opening morning

Each year on the opening morning of shooting season the 'factory girls' gather.  They've been doing that since the mid-eighties so are hardly girls any longer.  Even the youngest of us is approaching 50.  

It started off when the girls who worked in the laboratory at a dairy factory decided they should have some fun while their boyfriends and husbands went off duck shooting and began to have champagne breakfasts on that morning.  The tradition has continued although breakfast now happens at lunch time and duck shooters have left their maimais by the time we arrive.

I don't attend these gatherings every year, but this year my friend, Chris and I decided it was time for a catchup.  I'm so glad we did, it was a great day full of comfortable, happy chat and laughter.  

On the way home we spotted two beautiful beasts in a roadside paddock and I went back the next day for a better look at them.  There was no-one home at the farm house and very loud dogs on duty. They are a breed I don't know.  Are they British Blues?  Do you know?

 The more quiet and inquisitive of the two had more white specs on its coat than the other.