Mauriceville North Methodist Church

The Wairarapa in New Zealand is a strange place. It’s spacious and unpredictable, almost feels moody and has an airy feel to it as if there are lots of stories that remain untold. Driving through recently we saw a sign to Mauriceville, a place I had never heard of and decided to take a left. What we discovered was the unknown history of Norwegian settlers who had come to this area in the 1860s and built themselves a remote and quiet little community. This Church sits up on a little hill surrounded by the graves of Norwegian settlers with names such as Lars and Hans, most of whom lived to the ripe old ages of 80 and 90.

We tried the side door of the church and it opened. Inside was prestine, but felt unused. The latest notice on the board was from 1997. A beautifully carved organ played only one note. The embroidered foot pedals worn through with age. The holy book lay closed upon its plush velvet cushion. In the cupboard lay a neatly stacked pile of decaying hymn books. On the wall was a family tree of Eli & Lars Larson, two of the original setters of Mauriceville North in the 1860s. They had five children who all went on to have between 9–12 children each. The tree was forked dramatically and the names became more and more anglicised as the generations passed.

I didn’t have my camera on me so just took a few shots on my phone. Couldn’t miss the opportunity to share this old gem:

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