Hokianga fence

I often say I prefer practical fences, those that serve a purpose.  Here's one that definitely meets that criteria.  We whizzed past it on the open road between Rawene and Kaikohe, then turned around and went back for a quick photo. 

I will be linking to Good Fences.

Churches of the Hokianga

On Thursday someone looked at me closely and asked if I was feeling OK. I told her I was fine, just fed up with this cold. But, I added, I was about to have time off in the Hokianga and if that didn’t fix me, they’d better starting digging a hole for me.

Digging can be deferred for a while. Despite driving around 820 kms in the past 5 days, I have more energy now than I had on Thursday. 

A couple of years ago I did a series of posts about churches in the north. This trip was more specifically about churches in the Hokianga. Apparantly there are 60 of them. I think we found just under 20. Some of them I’d visited before, the others were wonderful discoveries. My travel companion GB is a much more fervent blogger than I am and I think intends to blog about all of them. I’ll just post about the few that were new to me and where I had noticed any changes from two years ago. 

Last time I was at St Mary’s at Motuti, where the remains Bishop Jean Baptiste Francois Pompallier were reinterred under the altar in 2002 (he’d died and been buried in his native France in 1871), I’d wondered about the significance of a large rock sitting in the church foyer. Now there is a sign above it explaining it was unearthed during the $12 million refurbishment of St Patrick’s Cathedral (in Auckland) and was gifted to the people of the Hokianga on the 169th anniversary of Bishop Pompallier’s first Mass.

 

Outside the church are new Stations of the Cross. I’ve never seen them out of doors before and was quite taken by them. 

 
I thought each was a lovely work of art.

There was also a new outdoor crucifex.

Half the present church building was originally at Pompallier’s first mission at Purukau. It was moved to Motuti in 1922. We weren’t actively looking for the first mission site, didn’t even know it existed but a small sign pointed the way and we followed, despite thinking a few times we must surely have gone past it by now. I think that was the worst road we travelled on and wheel tracks indicated only one other vehicle had travelled the road that day. But we eventually reached it, and after following the not often treaded track, we came to the little clearing by the water.

 

The little building under the trees has nothing to do with the mission.  It looks like an abandoned hunter's hut.

 

Below is a picture of the same spot it in 1894.

Yes, I think I can detect it is the same church.

It's hard to imagine how these quiet little backwaters of the harbour could once have been such busy, bustling places.

A Church on Sunday - Pakanae

At the Waiotemarama turnoff, about 2 kilometres north of Opononi, is the small historic maori settlement of Pakanae.  We could see a church from the road and there was even a sign directing us to it and the Marae which shares the driveway.  

The Marae is central to the Maori way of life, it is a focal point for groups who share kinship, whanau, hapu, iwi. Here they can meet to discuss and debate, to celebrate, to welcome the living and bid farewell to those that have passed on. There are over one thousand Marae throughout New Zealand in rural areas and in cities. In former times it was the open space and buildings in a settlement or pa (fortified settlement) where the community gathered. Today a Marae is a complex of buildings and open space, with facilities to cater for and accommodate a community and its visitors. In many cases they are not occupied continuously, or only by a small number, and are mainly used for hui (meetings) of many forms of the group sharing kinship and their guests. 

There's a protocal surrounding visits to marae so we did not approach but were impressed by the pristine surroundings. It was in a much better state of repair than the church.

Guarding the approach to the marae were three canons, looking back down the Hokianga Harbour.  And I think in the background is the monument to Kupe the ledgendary maori explorer who discovered New Zealand. Kupe is believed to have settled in the Pakanae area before his journey to Hawaiki to start the migration of the maori people to this land. Making the Hokianga truly the Cradle of the New Zealand.

Searching the internet for more information about Pakanae I found the following that I thought was interesting:

Maori Deeds of Land Purchases in the North Island of New Zealand: Volume One

Pakanae No. 3 Block, Hokianga District

1875. 18 June.Hokianga District.This Deed made the eighteenth day of June 1875 Between Her Majesty Queen Victoria on the one part and Te Waharoa, Rawiri Te Tahua, Wiremu Pakanae No. III. Rangatira, Wiremu Taui, Timo, Ngawati Remo; Keroama Tauehe; Hauraki Rewha, and Tawio Pouroto of Hokianga aboriginal Natives of the Colony of New Zealand (hereinafter called "the Vendors") of the other part Witnesseth that in consideration of the sum of one hundred and ninety nine pounds six shillings and three pence by Her Majesty paid to the Vendors Receipt for £199 . 6 . 3. on the execution hereof (and the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged) the Vendors do and each of them doth hereby surrender convey and assure unto Her said Majesty all that block of land containing Three thousand one hundred and eighty nine acres or thereabouts known or called Pakanae No. 3 as the same is more particularly described in the Schedule hereto and delineated on the plan drawn on this Deed and colored red together with all rights and appurtenances thereto belonging or appertaining. To hold the said land and premises with the appurtenances unto Her said Majesty Her Heirs and successors for ever. In Witness whereof the Vendors have hereunto set their names the day and year first above written.